


Fries Before Guys

by wildxwired



Category: Schitt's Creek (TV) RPF
Genre: Bottom Dan, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jam Basket Exchange, Light Angst, M/M, alternative universe: different first meeting, food truck au, hot sex and hotter snacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22724944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildxwired/pseuds/wildxwired
Summary: Six weeks ago,Home (on a) Plateshowed up in front of the MTV building in West Hollywood and started providing the locals with quite possibly the most amazing and inventive variations of grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese fries every Monday and Thursday, between the hours of 12 and 2. It wasn’t just the melt-in-the-mouth gooey goodness that had people clambering around the truck, or the insanely fair prices that were usually nowhere to be found on the rest of the street food in LA, but the fact that this was all served up by some hazel eyed specimen with the forearms ofa godprobably didn’t hurt either.
Relationships: Dan Levy/Noah Reid
Comments: 40
Kudos: 135





	Fries Before Guys

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegrayness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrayness/gifts).



> Here’s my jambasket fic for one of my eternal fandom favourites thegrayness, heavily cheerleaded by two of my other fandom favourites this-is-not-nothing and xoxxblitz! 
> 
> Big love to the RPF community at the Rosebudd Motel 💕 
> 
> HAPPY RPFEBRUARY! HAPPY JAMENTINE’S DAY!

“Hey, you wanna go to lunch?” Annie asks as she pops her head around the door of Dan’s office, earrings jangling as she moves. 

Without looking away from the screen, Dan twists his mouth and shakes his head. “It’s too early,” is all he says, fingers frantically tap, tap, tapping at the keyboard.

Annie pulls a face and slips back her floral blouse cuff to reveal her watch. “It’s 1:35”

“It’s Thursday,” Dan explains with a quick glance up, and within a fraction of a second Annie is smirking and rolling her eyes. 

“Riiight,” she drawls. “So you have to wait until the end of the lunch rush before you can go make gooey eyes at the hot food truck guy.”

“His name is Noah,” Dan says. “And it’s just the gooey cheese fries I’m after.” 

Annie rests a hand on her popped hip and nods slowly. “Oh, of course. And considering how dedicated you are to your cheese based preferences, the fact you choose to wait until just before he closes has everything to do with ambience and nothing at all to do with the fact that the lovely _Noah_ will have no customers to distract him from staring into your eyes and falling madly in love,” she props her chin up with the back of her hand and flutters her eyelashes dramatically as she finishes. 

“I hate you,” Dan replies, eyebrows narrowing menacingly at Annie above the computer screen. 

Annie smiles sweetly and blows him a kiss. “And I detest you. Also, don’t forget about the movie on Saturday with Emily.”

“I’m not going because I don’t like either of you,” Dan says as he smiles at his screen. 

“Oh, of course. You’re just there to stop randos hitting on us,” she explains, attempting a wink as she speaks. “Emily’s bringing terrible wine too.”

“How awful. Tell her not to bring the plastic flutes this time.”

“You got it, kitten.” With a click of her tongue and another failed wink, Annie slinks back out of the room leaving Dan to obsessively glance at the clock again. 

♥

Six weeks ago, _Home (on a) Plate_ showed up in front of the MTV building in West Hollywood and started providing the locals with quite possibly the most amazing and inventive variations of grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese fries every Monday and Thursday, between the hours of 12 and 2. It wasn’t just the melt-in-the-mouth gooey goodness that had people clambering around the truck, or the insanely fair prices that were usually nowhere to be found on the rest of the street food in LA, but the fact that this was all served up by some hazel eyed specimen with the forearms of _a god_ probably didn’t hurt either. 

On paper this guy shouldn’t be making Dan swoon as hard as he has been over the last six weeks. His backwards cap, dirty apron and constant humming along to Bare Naked Ladies and Bob Dylan tracks should make Dan shudder for all the wrong reasons, but there’s something in his face and the way he smiles at Dan that just makes him downright _swoon_. 

“Hey, I’m Noah. Wanna try a cheese sample?” Noah had said the first time Dan wandered up to his truck one late Monday lunchtime. “I know accepting free food from a guy in a van is sketchy, but you look like a guy who knows good cheese.”

Dan had pressed his lips together in a vain attempt to suppress his grin before stepping forward and eagerly accepting the toothpick. “I’m way too Canadian to be impolite to anyone offering me free cheese, even if you are a serial killer.” He’d told himself it was only culinary interest that made Noah watch his mouth as he popped in the cube of cheese, but it was his own moan as the warm slightly salted flavour sank into his taste buds that had him blushing. “Oh my god,” he whispered and Noah outright beamed. 

“I think you just became my favourite customer,” Noah had said, and boy did he mean it. 

For the next six weeks Dan religiously appeared at five to two every Monday and Thursday lunchtime, finding free samples and Noah’s winning smile waiting for him. The conversation would flow easily whilst Dan ate his order and Noah drank from a BlueJays sports bottle, swapping stories about the differences between Ontario and California that gave vague little segways into anecdotes about their own personal lives. Dan learned that Noah is also Canadian, perfected the art of making grilled cheeses in college, loves baseball and acts in local theatre in his spare time. 

Dan’s not sure how long it took him to realise the flutter in his chest was not indigestion, but he’s been painfully and ignorantly crushing on the guy for a while now, much to the amusement of his friends. 

♥

Noah’s smile weakens Dan when he sees it, and it’s not even directed at him. He’s handing over an order of _That’ll Do, Pig_ fries to a multi coloured haired teen before waving him off. The teen hurries away, and as Noah watches him go his eyes find Dan’s face, brimming with a joy Dan assures himself is purely good customer service. 

“Hey, man,” Noah beams, his smile looking impossibly cute despite the irritating backwards cap above it. “I saved you some of your favourite, wanna grab some wall while I close up and I’ll bring it out in a minute?”

“Sure,” Dan replies, turning to perch on the grey stone wall that runs alongside the courtyard. 

He watches as Noah lowers the shutters on the food hatch, trying not to let his eyes linger on the man’s forearms as they flex beneath the weight of the metal. He wants to lick along the vein that bulges beneath the pale flesh, wants to taste salt and skin and cooking oil.

Dan let’s his thoughts wander for a moment, but pulls them back harshly as Noah steps out of the side door with a tray of fries in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. His cap is gone along with his apron, and his hair is tousled like he’s run his fingers through it a couple times. 

“Here you go, one portion of sweet potato fries with melted Brie and pesto,” he announces as he hands the tray over. Dan sticks it beneath his nose and takes an appreciative whiff, eyes rolling back slightly as he groans. 

“Mmm, I’ve been dreaming about these since Monday,” Dan sighs before quickly stuffing a long fry into his mouth and moaning. 

Noah’s cheeks look a little pink, which Dan finds odd because the guy should be used to compliments over his food by now. There’s always a line and a symphony of gastronomic orgasm sounds coming from the happy customers around his truck. 

“Well, these are on me. I’m sure if I had some kind of loyalty card scheme going on you would have more than earned yourself a free lunch by now.”

Dan tilts a fry at Noah. “I’m definitely not going to argue with you on that one,” he says before taking a bite. He offers the fry to Noah as he sits alongside Dan on their wall. Noah takes a fry and chews it happily as he unscrews his bottle and takes a big gulp. Dan tries (and fails) not to stare at his Adam’s apple as it bobs, and he stuff another few fries into his mouth and bites down hard in an effort to stop his brain going anywhere else with the image. 

“So, I was thinking about that writers retreat you mentioned,” Noah starts up, referring to Monday’s conversation around Dan getting away from his MTV desk job and pursuing his writing dreams - if only something could kick him up the ass enough to actually write something. 

Dan stops mid chew and swallows hard. It was only a brief mention, just a stupid little idea Dan has been toying around with one night when sleep eluded him for several hours. He’s surprised Noah even remembers. “Oh?” 

“Yeah. I think you should go for it. I _definitely_ think you should go for it. You’re obviously creative as hell as you’re not happy plotting social media campaigns for shitty reality shows.” God. He sounds so earnest it makes the sharp edges of Dan’s crush twist right into his chest.

“How do you know I’m creative?” Dan asks, purposely trying to keep eye contact to a minimum. 

Noah smiles, all quirky and amused and Dan could just melt right into his lunch along with the Brie. “Because, everything about you is creative. Like how put together you are. You always look so great and just - totally different to anyone else I see around here. And the way you talk, all with your hands and your eyes. You’re just a really visual kind of person, yknow?”

Dan’s mouth is dry and he doesn’t know what to do with his hands as they cling uselessly to the tray of delicious food like it weighs a tonne. 

“Thanks, uhm…” he pauses to adjust his awkward limbs, suddenly regretting not taking off the jacket of his electric blue power suit. “That’s probably one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said about me.” 

“I find that hard to believe,” Noah chuckles, gracious enough not to lock his eyes on the deep blush that blooms in Dan’s cheeks. “But this retreat...you gotta go for it. You’re gonna kill it, I just know you are.” 

Dan takes a breath and chews on another fat fry for a few moments. “Well, after that pep talk how can I say no?”

“Don’t forget the free food,” Noah nods and Dan laughs. 

“Of course. Though I don’t know what it says about me that my career ambitions can be persuaded by cheese covered fries.”

Noah beams and steals a fry. “It says only good things.” 

Dan can’t help but smile. This dorky fry cook believes in him, and it feels wonderful. “Well, thank you. If there’s any major life decisions you need bribing into - just let me know.” 

Immediately Noah hums and steals another fry. “Now that you mention it, there is something I could use your advice on.” 

“Oh? I’m not sure how much help I can offer other than seasonal fashion insights or which hashtags the Kardashian’s follow, but I’ll do my best.”

Noah gives a crooked little smile in return that makes Dan’s heart do an excited little _patter patter_ like the last time he was on the big one at Six Flags. Noah takes a gulp of water and glances up to the sky like he’s contemplating his words, and honestly it’s the first time in six week Dan’s ever seen conversation not come easy to him. 

“So, there’s this guy I like - have done for a while now, and I don’t really know what to do about it.” Dan tries to find Noah’s eyes but they’re dead ahead. 

“Uh…” Dan tries, weakly. The more he fights the fear on his face, the more he feels it shows. There must be a limit in the universe to how many times a person can help the guy they’re crushing on get with _someone else_. There must. What kind of vindictive spin instructor must he have been in a previous life to deserve this? 

Noah chuckles. “Not comfortable with dating advice?”

Dan smiles through the gut wrenching devastation and adjusts his glasses. “Well, none that’s ever worked out for me. Does, uhm...does he like you back?” 

God, could he sound more high school?

With a dreary sigh, Noah shrugs. “Sadly I’ve never been very good at telling. I mean, he’s really nice and he loves my food.”

Dan nods. “Of course.”

“So he could just be hanging around for the food. But there’s other things.”

“Like what?” Dan asks, though the last thing he wants right now is to know about the guy he lost out to. 

“Well...he seems to really listen when I talk, yknow? And he’s so easy to talk to. He’s so interesting and funny.”

_Kill me._

“Right.”

“And he always shows up right before I close and I don’t know if that’s because he’s into me or because he’s trying to work up enough points on his loyalty card for a free lunch.” 

_What?_

“What?” Dan chokes. 

Noah smiles hopefully, flushing faintly as his water bottle creeks beneath the force of his clenched fingers. 

“Ok. Well, judging by your surprise I’d say my flirting skills definitely need some work.” 

“F-flirting?”

Noah’s blush darkens as he bites on an embarrassed smile. “Not very well, obviously.”

“No, no,” Dan blurts, almost dropping his half eaten tray. “You were, you probably were. I’m just oblivious. This never happens.”

“People don’t flirt with you?” Noah asks quizzically. 

“No, they do. Just not usually people who I think are nice and who I...I… _respect_.” Dan twists his mouth into a grimace, mortified at his own lack of game. 

Maybe it’s a Canadian thing?

Noah presses his lips into a smirk. “Oh, well that’s good. Because I also like and respect you.”

Definitely a Canadian thing. 

Dan’s cheeks ache beneath the weight of the grin that spreads across his face. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Noah agrees. They’re both grinning with an awkward kind of happiness that keeps forcing their eyes together and then quickly apart as the silence stretches on for a few more lingering moments. “Would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?”

Dan takes another fry. “I’d love to go out with you tomorrow night.”

Noah steals another. “Good.”

“Good,” Dan agrees, before eating yet another handful. 

♥

When Dan tells the girls about Noah the next morning, Annie rolls her eyes and hands over ten bucks to Emily, who’s grinning wildly. 

“When did you start taking bets over my love life?” Dan gasps. Emily sips her coffee through a gleeful smirk. 

“Jeez, I don’t know, it’s been so long now.”

That’s when Dan makes them both swear on Oprah that they _won’t_ go to Noah’s food truck until he says so. Which will probably be never because just _one_ of their many hilariously pathetic stories about Dan’s past love life would surely be more than enough to send Noah and his food truck speeding off into the sunset, never to be seen or smelled again. 

Dan mutes the group chat for the rest of the day, ignoring the 37 notifications of Annie and Emily sending him various cheese pun innuendos. He doesn’t have time to go through them all, so he rolls his eyes and deletes all the notifications in one on the way home. 

Noah’s picking him up at 7:30, which gives Dan exactly two hours to shower and dress and try to look like he hasn’t been hyperventilating for the last 24 hours thinking about his first actual date in over six months. Dan’s been mentally putting together outfit choices for longer than he’d care to admit. He’s been oscillating between a classy sweater/jacket combo or a more casual T-shirt/leather jacket look. 

When he gets out of the shower, he stands in front of his closet in a towel and stares hard at his clothes for a while. His phone pings from the bedside table. 

**Annie:** He’d wanna do you Gouda in those Diesel jeans.

Dan scoffs and then pauses, flipping through his black jeans until he finds the Diesel ones with the ripped knees. 

**Emily:** He’d be grilled to see you in that leather jacket. It’s a feta idea than the sweater/jacket combo. You’ll get sweaty. 

He grumbles, sends back _I hate you guys. Thanks x_ and pulls the outfit together. When he’s dressed, he surveys the outfit and runs a thin amount of hair wax into his quiff. They have a point - this is definitely better. This will definitely distract him from the internal panic that anything constituting as a successful relationship has been pretty much non existence in the majority of his dating life. There have been a few valiant attempts over the years, each one starting like a Julia Roberts movie but ending up more like a Segorney Weaver sci-fi. 

It takes several deep breaths and a shot or two of honey whiskey to stop those thoughts tumbling into anything sinister, and he lets the smooth amber alcohol wash over the good thoughts instead. 

Dan _is_ excited. Nervous - yes, but definitely excited. Noah is cute and fun and Dan wants to see that neck and those forearms in _many_ different settings and situations, so he’ll bite down hard on any anxiety and focus on the great stuff about first dates. 

Like butterflies, hammering away wonderfully in the gut through flirting and compliments. Or first kisses. Those were great! Hopefully. Noah’s mouth definitely looks like it’s good for kissing. Nice and clean, nothing sloppy about it. Or all those first date conversations, though over the last six weeks Dan’s pretty sure they’ve covered the majority of first date topics. 

By the time the buzzer by his door sounds, Dan’s done a pretty good job of talking himself away from an emotional ledge enough to sound relaxed and breezy when he presses the intercom and tells Noah to come up. He waits by the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet until there’s footsteps and then a quick little knock that shouldn’t be as endearing as it is. 

“Hey,” Noah greets, calm and easy in his brown jacket and blue jeans like he isn’t trying to hold back debilitating anxiety. 

“Hi,” Dan replies, stepping forward for a kiss on the cheek. Or, well, that’s what he’s going for, but suddenly Noah’s lips are under his own like they’re both magnetised. Dan’s breath falters in surprise but Noah’s mouth is warm and steady, hands resting delicately on Dan’s hips as he deepens the kiss quickly, tongue briefly sliding over the top of Dan’s bottom lip before pulling back with a sweet sticky sound. 

When Dan’s eyes flutter open, lips still parted like they’re hoping it’s not the end, Noah’s smiling innocently. “I, uhm...didn’t mean to do that right away.”

Dan tries not to grin. “Okay.”

“It’s just, I was kind of thinking about kissing you on the way over here and then you stepped forward and I think I just got a little over excited and ahead of myself,” he babbles, though he doesn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed or regretful.

Dan steps back into Noah’s space and kisses him again, not as deep but still lingering. This time when he pulls back, he doesn’t stop his grin. Neither does Noah. 

♥

“So, where are we actually going because I’m starting to realise I never asked and we’re getting dangerously close to all those little boho theatres that host slam poetry and improv nights.” 

They’ve been walking for two blocks since getting out of the cab, the streets getting smaller and the smell of downtown LA getting stronger as it pours from dimly lit doorways. Noah bumps their elbows together and laughs. 

“You’ve heard of _Drunk Shakespeare_ , right?” 

“I try not to speak ill of the dead,” Dan offers dryly but Noah simply shakes his head and wraps his hand around Dan’s forearm as he tugs him down a narrow alley. 

“It’s this thing some theatre groups do. The actors get wasted and then perform a Shakespearean play. It’s usually hilarious.”

Dan grimaces. “That sounds like improv.”

“There’s only so much room for improv when it comes to Shakespeare. Also, these guys are good friends of mine and gave me tickets for free which means there’s more money for drinks and bar snacks.”

“What kind of bar snacks?” Dan stops walking to ask.

“Really great boneless wings and giant nachos,” Noah replies, gesturing to a dark doorway and descending stairs just beyond. Outside the door is a sandwich board that says _“Fuck Romeo!” - Juliet, Act Two Scene Two_ and Dan frowns at it for a moment before pursing his lips. 

“How great?”

Noah grins. 

The theatre/club in question is not as tragic as Dan fears. There’s a kind of Cabaret vibe to the whole place, but surprisingly not in a tacky way. The stage is only slightly raised and in the centre of the room, surrounded by low comfy looking couches with coffee tables up front and simple chairs and small round tables further back. 

When they’re inside, Noah smiles reassuringly and leads them to one of the couches with a _Reserved_ sign on the coffee table in front. 

“Impressive,” says Dan, sitting down on the couch and instantly feeling awkward with his long limbs and low seating. He scoots to sit on the edge of the couch as Noah takes off his jacket and joins him. 

When the waitress drops by, they both order whiskey and Coke and a basket of boneless wings to share, and once the drinks arrive Dan finally settles back into his seat. He peers up at the spotlights looming over the sand coloured stage, hoping to God there’s no audience participation. 

“Don’t worry,” Noah leans close to murmur, like his words are secrets despite not a single person in the room paying either of them any attention. “It’s not going to be as terrible as you think.” 

Dan blinks slowly in an attempt to not get lost in the warmth of Noah’s body so close to his own. He chews at a loose piece of skin on his bottom lip and smiles. “I trust you. I think. You look like a guy who knows good drunk theatre.”

Noah grins brilliantly, obviously understanding the call back to their first meeting. He looks like he’s about to say something, lips parting for words or maybe even preparing to kiss. Dan watches them for an intense moment before Noah ducks his head and takes a slow sip of his drink. 

“Good to know,” he eventually says, shooting Dan a coy little smirk before taking another sip. 

It turns out that Drunk Shakespeare...is amazing! Dan laughs harder than he has done in months, so much so that tears of amusement keep fogging his glasses. He never knew he could feel so comfortable giggling and licking barbecue sauce of his fingers in front of someone he really would love to see naked sometime soon, but here they are. Noah’s cheeks are red and flushed from all the laughing, and when he really gets going his knees raise closer to his body as he leans back and laughs hard. 

As the actors, clad in half costume half modern dress, stumble across the stage and hash out Shakespearean language interlaced with curses and Millenial slang. They muddle their way through the tale of Romeo and Juliet, sometimes pulling off impressive monologues with amazing accuracy and other times falling back on both modern and Shakespearean insults. 

At intermission they order more wings and nachos, sharing them happily as they talk about school plays when they were younger. It doesn’t feel like a first date, it doesn’t even feel like a third date. It feels like lunchtime, any one over the last six weeks - only this time Dan’s allowed to feel all those little zings each time Noah’s smile lingers, all those flutters in his chest when he gives Dan a teasing compliment. 

When Noah gets back from the bathroom, he settles on the couch just as the lights dim. His hand comes to rest tentatively on Dan’s thigh, and when Dan glances to the side, Noah is simply staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression. The weight of Noah’s warm hand against the thigh of Dan’s jeans feels welcome and right. He relaxes under it, and when the tension leaves his body beneath the darkened stage lights, Noah grips his thigh with a little more purpose. 

♥

“So, you got us out of there pretty fast to say your friends were on stage.” They’re walking the three blocks from the ice cream place to Dan’s apartment, cream soda floats in hand. 

Noah sucks on his spoon for a moment, humming. “Yes, my incredibly drunk friends. Would you want to introduce me to your drunk friends on our first date?”

Dan grimaces. “I wouldn’t want to introduce you to my friends sober. I mean, you’re great and they’d love you of course, I just don’t know if your attraction to me could weather the storm of their stories of my questionable life decisions over the last five years.”

Noah wraps his lips around the straw and smirks. Dan can’t help but be drawn to those lips, so full and warm and dangerous. He wants to kiss Noah again and he doesn’t care how obvious he’s being right now. Noah lets go of the straw to laugh, stopping to tug Dan close by the lapel of his jacket and plant a soft, short kiss on his lips. 

“Sorry,” Dan blushes as they continue to walk. “Didn’t mean to creepy stare at your face.” He totally meant to creepy stare at his face. 

Noah can’t stop grinning. “Don’t be. I’m just better at subtlety than you are.” 

“And here I thought you were all sad and confused wondering if I liked you,” Dan shakes his head and sighs dramatically. 

“To be fair, I didn’t know if you were making faces at me or the food.”

Dan nods. “Well, you’ve got a point there.”

Noah puts their empty cups in the trash as they approach Dan’s apartment building. “So, I’m busy vending at this movie thing in the park tomorrow, but I thought maybe we could have lunch or something on Sunday, if you’re not busy?”

Dan’s stomach clenches. “Uhm, would that happen to be at the memorial park tomorrow at seven?”

Noah’s brow arches. “Yeah...why?”

“I’m going there with some friends. It’s kind of a tradition. They always play romcoms and one of us brings really bad wine.” 

“Oh,” Noah smiles. “Well, now at least you’ll have great food to go with the awful wine.” 

“I’d still like to see you on Sunday. Lunch sounds nice,” Dan says as they step into the entrance way of his building. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, but every part of him is itching to know Noah.

“I’d really like that, too.”

Dan doesn’t even try to take his eyes away from Noah’s mouth, and this time he steps into Noah’s space and claims the next kiss. Noah makes a tiny noise of approval as Dan’s hands slip beneath his jacket and stroke at his T-shirt covered sides, and when Dan moans back Noah uses the moment to deepen the kiss. Noah tastes like whiskey and ice cream and a little something else, and Dan wants to catalogue the taste to memory like he’s just found his new favourite dessert. His mouth is warm and Dan sinks right into it, leaning into Noah until he’s pressed back against the door. 

With his back now pressed against a solid surface, Noah lets his hands wander to Dan’s neck before cupping his face gently as they kiss. Dan can’t help the shudder of his hips as they press close together and Noah moans soft and low beneath the pressure of Dan’s body. 

Dan pulls back with a jagged breath, not quite able to open his eyes and end the moment just yet. “I really wanna be gentlemanly and respectful, but if you keep kissing me like that I’m not gonna be able to stop myself from inviting you upstairs.” 

Noah chews on his lip and smirks. “Well, thank you for thinking of my virtue, because if you kiss me like that again I’m gonna let you take me upstairs.” 

“So, we should probably stop kissing then,” Dan breathes, eyes opening to see Noah’s blown pupils and kiss stained lips. God he wants to get Noah upstairs so bad. He wants to pull him apart in all the ways he’s been thinking about over the last few weeks and then let him do it back. He wants to cover himself in Noah until there’s nothing else. But he should probably wait until at least the second date for that. 

Noah sucks in a breath and shrugs. “I guess so.”

There’s a few beats of silence between them as they continue to grin, and all it takes is a quick and quiet chuckle from Dan for Noah to surge forward and seal their mouths together. This kiss is quick and frantic and soon they part with a gasp.

“So, that went well,” Dan whispers. 

“Yup. Really nailed that no kissing,” Noah agrees. 

Dan’s smile is coy and playful and it makes Noah kiss him again. Dan sighs happily, wrapping his arms around Noah’s broad shoulders. 

“Okay, we’re going to stop kissing now,” Dan instructs when he pulls back, still close enough for their lips to brush as he speaks. 

“Mhm.”

“I mean it this time,” Dan feigns, putting up zero resistance as Noah pecks his lips. 

“Of course.”

Dan sighs, groans, sighs again and finally takes a step back.

“Goodnight, Noah.”

“Goodnight, Daniel.”

♥

Dan tries to not be nervous about Annie and Emily potentially interacting with Noah, really - he tries. But instead of deep breaths and rational thought, Dan’s anxiety hyper fixes itself on to his appearance. 

Which is how he ends up stood in the middle of a park in a coral red suit, desperately glad that this is LA and he _won’t_ be the only one showing up looking like he got lost on his way to an award show red carpet. 

“Hey, handsome.” Annie sidles up to him and presses a noisy kiss to his cheek. 

“Well, look at this tall drink of water,” Emily chimes, kissing his other cheek. 

Dan grins, the static of his anxiety wavering slightly as he hugs his friends. Emily loops her arm around Dan’s elbow and takes the picnic basket in the other. 

They pick a spot near the back, because people watching usually turns out to be more fun than the movie, and even if this time they are playing Dan’s absolute favourite, _Notting Hill_ , the people watching is still bound to be the highlight of entertainment. 

“So, where’s your new lover?” Emily asks excitedly as she pours out three glasses of cheap Prosecco. 

“If you ever say that around him I’m going to send those pictures of you going Coyote Ugly on that bar in Cancun to your mother.”

Unphased, Emily smirks and leans in. “But you’re fine with me saying it around you...interesting…” she drawls before taking a long and delicate sip.

They chat and sip and laugh, and Dan almost forgets about his new _something_ potentially interacting with his love-to-watch-you-squirm friends until someone walks by with a tray of fries that has the unmistakable fresh scent of herbs and melted cheese. 

“I’m just gonna go say hi to Noah,” Dan announces as he pulls himself to his feet and brushes at his trousers. 

“Okay, but the film’s about to start,” Annie warns. 

“Exactly, so it won’t be busy. I’m just gonna say hi and then I’ll be right back.”

Oh, how wrong he is.

Busy would be a vast understatement. Frankly, Dan’s seen less of a rush at 8am on the day of a Bloomingdales sale. It’s utter chaos by the food trucks, and the majority of the crowd seems to be undulating around Home (on a) Plate. It only takes a few more steps for Dan to see the utter terror on Noah’s face as he flusters around the place in his backwards cap with a panic Dan _never_ thought he’d see from a guy so usually calm and collected. He looks completely and utterly overwhelmed and it makes Dan ache. 

With a deep breath, Dan approaches the side of the van quickly, striding up the two steps and in through the side door. Noah flinches in surprise, a smile briefly flashing over his face when he sees Dan standing there.

“Dan! Hey. Hi, what...what are you doing in here?”

Dan pulls off his jacket and hangs it by the back of the door, taking the spare apron from the hook first. “Helping. Being helpful,” Dan explains as he quickly ties the apron. 

“You don’t have to do that. The movie’s starting,” Noah tries, looking all kinds of hopeless. 

“Hey, can I get my order now?” A guy interrupts from the crowd, and Dan tilts his head towards him and raises his eyebrows as if his point has just been proven. 

Noah finally huffs with defeat. “Ok. Yeah, ok. You take orders and handle the money and I’ll fire up another grill.”

As Noah moves by Dan to grab another loaf of bread, he presses a quick, appreciative kiss to Dan’s cheek. It’s impossibly sweet and Dan fails to hide his blush. 

Luckily, Dan’s worked in enough high pressure sales situations through college to keep his cool with the demanding crowd. They move in sync, taking orders, making orders, handing them over and taking payments. The crowd doesn’t lessen for a while, but in the monotony of writing orders and flipping through paper bills, Dan completely loses track of time. 

When Noah pulls another batch of fries from the small fryer and announces it’s their last, Dan finally takes a step back and looks around the almost empty van. The bread piles are gone, the fridge is empty and the chest freezer is full of empty bags of fries. 

Dan sorts through the cash as Noah adds the different toppings to the last few trays and hands them out to the remaining customers. 

“Holy crap,” Noah laughs, collapsing back against the prep table with a sigh as he pulls off his cap and runs a hand through his hair. “We’ve completely sold out.” 

“That’s amazing,” Dan grins. He takes a marker and rips the lid off one of the empty boxes and scrawls _SOLD OUT_ in messy letters before handing it over to Noah. “Better close up, then.”

“Dan,” Noah starts, looking down at the sign and then back up to Dan with those impossibly expressive eyes. He checks his watch and softly shakes his head. “The movie’s almost over. Shit, I’m so sorry. I had no idea it would be this busy.”

Noah rubs his hands over his face and apologises again, but Dan simply rolls his eyes and pecks Noah’s lips quickly, leaving his hands on Noah’s broad shoulders when he pulls away. 

“You needed help, so I helped,” Dan explains as he lets his fingers dance across Noah’s shoulders. “I’m incredibly generous like that.”

Smirking, Noah rests his hands firmly on Dan’s waist, pulling him in. “Is that so?” 

Dan grins back as Noah’s face inches closer and closer to his own. “Mhm,” he hums.

“Mhm,” Noah agrees before pressing their mouths together in a slow, wet kiss. 

When Noah pulls back, Dan feels almost giddy. He can’t stop smiling and he doesn’t want the kiss to end, but Noah steps back and picks up the Sold Out sign before Dan can move in again. 

“Stay there. I’m just gonna close up.”

“Want some help?” Dan offers, still smiling and Noah smirks and rolls his eyes before dipping to capture Dan’s mouth in another frustratingly quick kiss. 

“You stay right there.”

So Dan does. He watches Noah pull down the shutters and leave to tape the sign to the front and bring in the bottles of sauce and stacks of napkins. He dumps them in an empty box before turning to close the door and slide the lock. 

Dan’s brow quirks. 

“Uhm,” he says, hoping his taste in men hasn’t gotten so bad that he’s now attracting adorable serial killers. But Noah’s smile is anything but unsettling and Dan can’t help the excitement that thrums through him as Noah closes in again. 

This time when their mouths lock, Dan makes sure Noah isn’t going anywhere, wrapping his arms around Noah’s shoulders and teasing his lips apart. Noah guides Dan back blindly until he’s against the wall in a space between a fridge and a stack of boxes, and with something solid now behind him Dan can buck his hips forward for a quick thrill of friction. 

“Fuck,” Dan gasps when Noah tears his mouth away to trail biting kisses down Dan’s throat. He hooks a thumb over Noah’s bottom lip, trapping it between Noah’s mouth and his own neck. “Your mouth,” he breathes.

Noah laps his tongue over Dan’s thumb and throat, so warm that Dan can feel himself starting to melt. As he groans, he feels Noah grinning into his skin, sucking a mouthful of it into his smile. When Noah’s hand sneaks under the side of Dan’s apron to press against the stomach of his shirt, Dan feels himself set ablaze. 

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Noah whispers as his fingers come to settle on the buckle of Dan’s belt. “Is this ok? Can I touch you?”

Dan nods frantically, head tilted back and eyes closed. “Yeah, Mhm. Yep.” 

Noah makes a pleased sound in the back of his throat as he kisses across Dan’s neck, hands still working on the belt and buttons of Dan’s suit trousers. When he finally slips a hand inside to cup Dan’s already half hard cock through the soft cotton of his tight briefs, they both curse. 

“I’m far from complaining, but isn’t this against health and safety?” Dan says, opening his eyes to find Noah smirking. 

“Not if I stay under the apron,” he whispers before disappearing from Dan’s line of sight as Noah sinks to his knees. 

With barely any time to register the words, Dan stutters uselessly as Noah dips behind the apron. He pulls Dan’s cock from his underwear and gives a teasing lick before he engulfs it in his mouth.

“Fuck, _Noah_!” Dan gasps desperately as Noah wastes no time in setting a steady rhythm. He peers down at the bobbing shape beneath the apron, half wanting to laugh and half wanting to rip it off and fuck fast into Noah’s perfect mouth. 

Dan does eventually give in to the need to see Noah, and he fumbles with the tie on the apron clumsily, Noah’s skillful tongue short circuiting Dan’s brain enough to tender him of his basic knot skills. Noah’s hands leave their perch on Dan’s hips to help, yanking the knot loose so Dan can pull the apron away. Noah looks up on cue, eyes half lidded beneath his dark lashes, and Dan almost comes undone right then. 

It’s moments later when Noah rakes his blunt nails across Dan’s abdomen that he finally does come, hands tight in Noah’s hair as he thrusts into the gloriously wet heat of Noah’s mouth, and Noah takes it all like it’s the last time he’ll ever get to - eager and greedy. Dan’s grip on Noah’s hair loosens as he comes down until he ends up softly petting his fingers through the damp curls at the back of Noah’s head. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Dan breathes. Noah pulls slowly back off of Dan’s clean cock, licking along his bottom lip to savour the salt of Dan’s skin. Dan digs his fingers into Noah’s shoulders and hauls him to his feet. “How are you even real?” He murmurs, pulling their mouths together. 

Noah laughs softly into the kiss. “Said the guy who missed his favourite movie with his friends to stop me from melting into a puddle of panic.” 

Dan doesn’t have a response so he kisses Noah again instead, hands cupping Noah’s face only to move down his arms and waist until they’re gripping onto his gorgeous jean clad ass and rocking Noah’s erection into Dan’s thigh. 

Just as Noah moans his approval, there’s an impatient heavy knocking on the van door. 

“Hello? Anybody homo?” Emily calls. 

Dan groans. “I hate my friends.”

Noah’s grinning like he isn’t currently sexually frustrated and it makes Dan crush just that little bit harder. “You kind of did ditch them. You should probably go out there.” 

“We could just pretend not to be here and hope they go away,” Dan says, even though he’s tucking himself away and fastening everything back up. 

“I think I’ve stolen you long enough tonight,” Noah replies reasonably, and Dan can’t even be mad at the honest and endearing look on his face. He pecks Noah’s lips gently. 

“Rain check?”

Noah bobs his brows. “Absolutely.”

Annie and Emily are grinning maniacally when the door finally swings open, looking all kinds of pleased with themselves. 

“Evening ladies. Lovely to see you again,” Noah chimes as Dan descends the steps. 

“Lovely to see you too, Noah,” Annie winks. “Sorry we haven’t been around at lunch in a while. Dan threatened us pretty heavily. He seems to think we’ll scare you off.” 

Noah tilts his head and smirks down at Dan. “Have you been scaring away my clientele?”

“Yeah, Dan,” Emily pokes, swinging her hip into his. “You make it so no one in LA with an embarrassing story about you can eat from this place, Noah’s gonna go out of business.” 

“And this is why you won’t be seeing my friends ever again,” Dan says, shooing the girls a few steps back. 

“Oh I’m sure we’ll see him at your wedding,” Emily grins. 

“Or the baby shower for your first adopted Vietnamese child,” Annie adds. 

“Okay!” Dan calls. “We’re gonna go get drunk now so I can forget this conversation ever happened.”

Noah laughs, looking all amused and smug but thankfully not terrified. “I’m sorry for encroaching on your night, ladies. Have a good evening.”

“You could come with us for drinks,” Annie says hopefully, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Dan glares at her. 

“Oh, I think I’ve taken up enough of your night. Besides, I’ve gotta clear up here. Rain check?” He winks right at Dan, almost as terribly as Annie does. 

“You got it,” Annie giggles, waving her fingers delicately as she smiles flirtatiously. 

“You’re married,” Dan reminds her, stopping himself from adding a possessive _and he’s mine_.

Emily tucks her hand into Dan’s elbow. “I’m pretty sure he’s already taken and very happy about it,” she murmurs quietly. 

Dan can practically see Noah’s ears pricking in attempt to catch the words, but Dan coughs loudly. “So, we’re still on for lunch tomorrow?”

Noah nods. “Of course. I’ll text you in the morning. Thanks again for your help. You’re the best.”

Before Dan can push himself up the stairs and back into Noah’s space for a goodbye kiss, Annie and Emily start dragging him away as they wave and call their goodbyes to Noah.

“Goodnight, ladies. Goodnight, Dan.”

Dan heaves out a sigh, not ready to admit to himself just how much he misses Noah already when he’s not even out of sight yet. 

“Come on, puppy eyes,” Emily laughs. “Let’s go get drunk.” 

♥

Dan wakes up with a headache and a text message. He groans and covers his face with his hands, desperate to shut out the late morning light. Annie and Emily had taken him to his favourite karaoke bar with cheap shots and old Mariah tunes, and with the thudding in his head he thinks he probably overindulged on both.

Dan rolls out of bed sometime after ten, fumbling for his glasses and phone. 

**Noah: What brand of hangover are you wearing this morning?**

Dan smiles, hoping the flutter in his stomach isn’t nausea. It took more self control than Dan was aware he had not to drunk call Noah and babble about his perfect mouth. 

_Dan: High end, Milan fashion week, opening show._

Dan is delighted to see the typing ellipses appear just seconds after his message delivers. The thought that Noah’s been sitting there for the last hour watching his phone makes Dan want to both sigh dreamily and moan hornily. 

**Noah: Yikes! Need to reschedule brunch?**

_Dan: Not a chance :)_

**Noah: Awesome :) I’ve got the best hangover cure! You like hot sauce right?**

_Dan: In what context?_

**Noah: Uuuuh...in the eating context? What other context is there? Or do I not want to know?**

_Dan: I meant as in food or in a cocktail! What kind of sadistic person do you think I am? XD_

**Noah: You never know! One man’s sandwich filler could be another man’s kink. I try not to judge.**

_Dan: Good to know! Just gonna shower that mental image away…_

**Noah: You do you XD Is 12:30 ok for lunch?**

_Dan: Sure, that should give me enough time to de-hot sauce._

**Noah: No hot sauce in food, drinks, or the bedroom. Noted!**

_Dan: Thanks!_

Dan grins at his phone for longer than necessary before finally heaving himself onto his feet. He regrets it almost immediately and lowers himself back to the bed with a groan. He’s got _a lot_ of work to do if he’s going to be date ready in the next two hours. 

♥

It takes a long shower, two pain killers, a huge mug of coffee, half an orange and an entire sports bottle of water to have Dan feeling vaguely human again. He sends a silent thanks to Mariah that his love for karaoke outweighs his love of cheap booze, and rubs a small amount of product into his hair in hopes to tame it. 

Dan’s trying to perfect the _casually scrolling through TV channels and not hopelessly clock watching_ look by the time Noah finally arrives. He gives himself a moment before answering the buzzer, hoping not to appear too eager, but the dopey smile on his face surely undoes any nonchalance he’s been practicing when he opens the door to Noah. 

“Hi,” Noah greets brightly, dressed in a navy button up shirt and delicious jeans. He presses a quick kiss to Dan’s cheek and makes his way inside, swinging a large paper bag onto the center counter of Dan’s open plan kitchen. 

“Someone’s been busy,” Dan says, nodding at the large nondescript bag. 

“Well, having spent my college days using the weekends for socialising and also team sports, I’ve become well versed in the art of hangover cures.”

Dan leans his elbows on the counter and watches Noah unpack the paper wrapped food. “That’s a great new business venture right there.”

Noah grins. “That’s actually how Home on a Plate began, but I went with the sports theme rather than subtle youthful alcoholism.”

“That was probably a good call,” Dan says, eyes fixated on Noah’s bare forearms as he unwraps the various food. 

“Okay, so you have to trust me on this,” Noah says after a few moments, pushing what looks like a well packed sub towards Dan. 

“What’s in it?” Dan asks as he eyes the sandwich curiously. 

“I’ll explain in a minute. Do you have some glasses for the drinks?”

Dan collects two tumblers from the cupboard and sets them in front of Noah. “This isn’t like some pagan ritual is it?” Dan asks as Noah lines everything up precisely. 

Noah laughs. “How many pagan rituals do you know that involve sandwiches?”

“Obviously none otherwise I would have converted years ago.”

Noah laughs again and Dan is proud of himself for having been the cause of that gorgeous noise twice in the last minute. Noah fills Dan’s cup with lemonade and sets it between the sandwich and what looks to Dan like -

“A pickle?” Dan questions, bemused. 

“You have to do this in order. I don’t know why, but it just works. You eat the sub, down the lemonade and then eat the pickle.”

“Oh-kay,” Dan drawls. “Firstly, what’s in the sub? Second...do I really have to eat the whole pickle?” 

“Not hot sauce, I promise. Just take a bite of the sub and then I’ll tell you.” Dan grimaces, but Noah’s face is kind. “Trust me.” 

Dan takes the sub and lifts it closer to his face. He pauses, looks at Noah once more and takes a bite. It...it’s strange. It’s really strange, but it’s not awful. There’s definitely tomato and then a burst of something sweet and the familiar texture of meat. He chews and swallows and studies the rest of the sub.

“Okay, I’m still alive, I’ll give you that. Now, what’s in it?”

“Tomato, spinach, American cheese, honey mustard, and Chinese orange chicken.”

Dan coughs. “That’s what that taste is! Oh my god. How is that not disgusting? Why does that work?” He peers at the sandwich like it’ll answer as Noah shakes his head with a smile and grabs his own sub from the bag. 

“I don’t know, man. It just does. Maybe it’s the citrus. I discovered it in college by accident and it’s been a life saver ever since. You just gotta make sure you drink the lemonade and eat the pickle after you’ve done, and then you’re gonna feel totally refreshed.”

“Not as refreshed as my mouth will feel after I brush my teeth for thirty minutes none stop,” Dan says. 

Noah grins and pulls a small tin of mints, sliding them across the counter towards Dan. “I got you.”

Dan chews on his bottom lip for a moment (purposely NOT replaying those words over and over in his mind) and shoves the sub into his mouth before he says something embarrassingly revealing. 

Just like their first date the conversation flows easily, mostly centred around food preferences and terrible hangover stories, both of which Dan has plenty to say about. Noah listens with a giddy grin, listening like he’s truly interested in every word Dan says. Without uttering a word Noah is managing to make Dan feel more seen than all of his ex’s combined - and it takes a lot of strength not to let that feeling terrify him to his very core. 

He even doesn’t mind when the inevitable happens -

“No. Fucking. _Way_ is your dad Eugene Levy!” 

Dan presses his lips together and nods. “Yup.”

Noah looks completely mind blown as he stares at Dan, studying his face. “I knew I’d seen those eyebrows somewhere.”

Dan huffs but still smiles, rolling his eyes playfully. “Please don’t ask me if my life was anything like American Pie.”

“Get that a lot, huh?” Dan shrugs. He does. “Man, no wonder you pulled a face whenever I played Bare Naked Ladies in the truck.”

Dan blinks. “Uhm, I did _not_ pull a face.”

Noah nods and tilts his almost empty glass in Dan’s direction. “You totally pulled a face.”

“Okay, so I might have pulled a _slight_ face.”

“I don’t think you’re capable of pulling a _slight_ face. It’s like, full-on facial acrobatics,” Noah says, waving a hand in front of his face for emphasis. 

“Wow, thanks,” Dan says, sarcastically. 

“No, that’s a good thing,” Noah assures. “You have a very talented mouth, uh - face.”

Dan smiles brilliantly at the blush that slowly creeps across Noah’s pale face. “Well, my mouthface is very flattered.”

“Your mouthface is welcome.”

There’s a comfortably nervous silence buzzing between them for a moment or so as they smile at the space separating them. Dan reels back through past conversations to find something the fill the gap.

“Do you miss it? Acting.” Dan finally asks, recalling their early conversations around first coming to LA. 

“Sometimes,” Noah replies. “I still get to act now and then with my theatre group friends. I guess the food truck thing just kind of took off and slowly ate away at my time until it became less of just a fun way to make rent and more of a passion, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never get to do it again. I don’t think we were made to just do one thing in life, and as long as I get to cook and act and play music - I’ll be happy.”

“I didn’t know you wrote music,” Dan smiles. Though now that he thinks about it, it totally makes sense. “What do you play?” 

“Piano and guitar mostly, sometimes the accordion, and uh - a little bit on the ukulele, kinda the harmonica,” Noah shrugs, like it’s no big deal. 

“That all?” Dan laughs. 

“I can sing too, a little. I mean, not like professionally, but I can hold a tune.”

Dan purses his lips with a grin and nods. “Well, sounds like I’m not the only one with a talented mouth.” 

♥

Dan stares at his face in the mirror as he brushes his teeth, scrubbing away the sour taste of pickle juice. He’s got to hand it to Noah, his tastebuds might not be thanking him for the odd hangover cure but his head certainly is. He really does feel good as new. There’s a thrill coursing through him as he thinks about kissing Noah again, pressing his lips against that talented mouth and tasting the warmth inside. He’s not even crippled with anxiety and nerves (which in turn makes him a little anxious), he just _wants_.

When he leaves the bathroom, Noah’s still in the kitchen. He has cleared away the rubbish, leaving only a white cake box behind, and is wiping down the sides like a polite house guest. 

Noah looks over his shoulder and shoots Dan a smile. “Better?” 

Dan crosses the kitchen quickly, pressing himself against Noah’s back and kissing that smile. “You tell me,” he murmurs. 

As the smile slowly melts into the same want that burns within Dan, Noah drops the cloth to the counter and turns, allowing Dan to wrap his arms around Noah’s shoulders. The kiss opens quickly, moving from a warm press of lips to a hot and fevered slide of tongues. Dan can taste lemonade on the roof of Noah’s mouth and the mint of the toothpaste from his own teeth, and it shouldn’t taste as intoxicating as it does, but Dan wants more. 

“Fuck,” Noah gasps into Dan’s open mouth. Dan grins and trails his lips away from Noah’s mouth, across his jaw and down his throat. His skin is warm and inviting, the muscles in his neck shifting beneath the blanket of flesh as Noah moans against the assault of Dan’s mouth. When Noah moans again, Dan bites the chunk of skin currently under his lips and Noah’s hips buck out. “Fuckin’ vampire,” Noah laughs. 

Dan’s grin deepens and he sucks lightly. Noah thrusts out again, and Dan can feel his erection prominent against his hips. “Mmm, doesn’t _feel_ like you mind though.”

“So much for being gentlemanly,” Noah groans, hands scraping down Dan’s sides, sliding round to Dan’s ass for a firm grip. 

Dan stutters a curse against Noah’s neck, rocking his hips forward. “The invitation to the bedroom is still very optional.”

Noah grabs the back on Dan’s neck, tugging at the short hairs on the nape and yanking Dan’s head back just far enough so they can see each other’s eyes. 

“Take me to your bedroom, Daniel.”

Within a split second Dan spins on his heel, tugging Noah by the hand across his apartment and into his bedroom. Noah’s quick to get on Dan again once they’re inside, licking his way into Dan’s mouth and walking him back towards the bed. Dan can’t help but love the way Noah moves confidently, like this is his room and he wants Dan more than anything. 

When Dan feels his legs hit the bed, he grabs hard at Noah’s shoulders and pulls him down with him. 

It’s not as graceful as he’d hoped. They land with an _ooompf_ , Noah’s forehead hitting Dan’s chest and Dan’s elbows catching in the sheets. 

“Wow, that looks a lot easier in the movies,” Dan mumbles, and Noah bursts out laughing against Dan’s T-shirt. Dan can’t help but join in, but when a flushed Noah looks up at him with shiny lips, his laugh slips away. 

“Can I touch you?” Noah asks quietly. Dan swallows and nods, breath hitching when Noah sits back between Dan’s legs and pulls his own shirt off. Before Dan can take in the sight of all of Noah’s glorious skin, Noah reaches for the hem of Dan’s T-shirt and tugs. For a moment, Dan doesn’t move. His insecurities weigh heavy on him, even if just for a second, but the hungry yet kind look in Noah’s eyes makes his body move again. He arches, allowing Noah to pull his T-shirt up his body and over his head. 

“Kiss me,” Dan says, because he can’t let Noah stare for too long. He doesn’t think his head could take watching Noah drink him in the same way he wants to do to Noah. But Noah’s skin is smooth, pale and bare. Perfect. Not like Dan’s, mottled with patches of dark hair and an uneven tan from too many LA summers with not enough sunscreen, softening around the belly from many missed gym sessions and even more dinner dates with friends. 

Noah smiles and nods, but his lips don’t find Dan’s. Instead, they fasten to a supple piece of flesh just above Dan’s belly button, kissing softly. Dan gasps, hips raising, heart hammering in his chest. Noah’s lips trail up the path between Dan’s navel and pecs, his warm tongue poking through parted lips to leave a cool blast of air in its wake. 

“Fuck, _Noah_ ,” Dan moans, unable to stop a hand tangling in Noah’s hair as his mouth moves to Dan’s nipple. Noah sucks gently and Dan thrusts up, searching for friction. Noah rubs a skillful tongue over and around Dan’s nipple, circling and spiralling towards the center. Noah bites, Dan hisses and pulls Noah’s hair tight, making Noah moan. Dan smiles, “Now who’s the fucking vampire.”

Noah laughs into Dan’s skin and moves his mouth onto Dan’s neck, peppering small kisses up the side of his throat. He threads his fingers through Dan’s chest hair, combing and scratching over the coarse dark hair and moaning into Dan’s neck. Noah’s hips roll against Dan’s as his weight pins Dan to the mattress, grinding their cocks together like it’s an essential human need for survival. Dan’s never had anyone make him feel so desired before. He’s never felt as sexy as he does beneath Noah’s attention. 

When Noah pulls back, his lips are even shinier than before, all red and spit slicked. Dan wants to lick them, wants to lick his way back into Noah’s mouth and stay there, but Noah slides his thumb across Dan’s bottom lip and pulls in deep breath. 

“What do you want? Just tell me what you want and it’s yours.” Dan sighs and sucks Noah’s thumb into his mouth, right down to the base so he can lap his tongue over the pad. Noah’s eyes darken as he pulls his thumb out to the tip and then presses it quickly back between Dan’s lips. Dan moans. “You wanna suck me off?” Noah asks breathily, groaning when Dan nods with Noah’s thumb still in his mouth. “Fuck, yeah - ok. Please.” 

Dan finally pulls his mouth away from Noah’s hand. “I want my mouth on you, and then I want you inside me.”

Noah runs his wet thumb along Dan’s cheek. “You want me to fuck you?” He asks, like he needs absolute clarification. 

“Yeah, fuck me. Let me suck you and then fuck me.” Dan’s got no idea where his inhibitions seemed to have fucked off to, but being taken apart by this gorgeous man who brings him gross hangover lunches is suddenly his only goal in life. 

“Yeah, fuck - yeah,” Noah fumbles, using his free hand to reach down and start clumsily fumbling with his own jeans.

Dan rolls his eyes in a charmed sort of way before pushing Noah by the shoulders and rolling him over. He slides down Noah’s body, kneeling between his legs and making quick work of the offending jeans, pulling them off with Noah’s help and tossing them to the side. 

Noah’s boxer briefs are black and soft, clinging to his erection in a way that lets Dan know just how much he’s going to get to use his deep throating skills. He licks his lips in anticipation and glances up to Noah’s grinning face.

Dan dips his thumbs beneath the waistband and tugs the boxers down, just enough to let Noah’s cock spring free. Fuck, it’s hot. Thick and smooth in his favourite shade of pink. Dan sucks the head into his mouth, slow at first like he’s going to tease, but as soon as Noah releases a long gasp, Dan quickly takes Noah’s cock down to the hilt. 

“Jesus, Dan…” Noah moans loudly, and Dan hums and lets all the spit that’s collected since sucking on Noah’s fingers spill down Noah’s cock. It makes the trip back up so much easier, gliding slick and smooth until he’s tonguing Noah’s slit. 

Dan curls his hand around the base of Noah’s cock and sets to work establishing a rhythm, quick at first and then a little slower, sucking Noah deep into his throat and swallowing. Noah’s hips tremble with the effort it takes to keep himself pinned to the bed, and Dan almost wants to let Noah sink his hands into his hair and ride his face until he comes down Dan’s throat - but he _really_ wants Noah to fuck him.

As if they’re on the same wavelength Noah cups Dan’s jaw and gently pushes Dan’s head back. “Can I fuck you?”

When Dan nods, Noah grabs him by the shoulders and hauls him up for a messy kiss, too wet and tasting of skin to be anything other than filthy. Dan breaks the kiss after a few moments to lean over Noah and rifle through the bedside drawer for lube and condoms. He pulls them out and drops them to the mattress before pushing himself back onto his knees to get his jeans open. Noah sits up so he can slide a hand inside Dan’s boxers and grip his hot hard cock. Dan curses and groans, clinging to Noah’s shoulders for support. 

“Lay down,” Noah whispers, and Dan eagerly complies, shimmying his hips as Noah pulls his jeans and underwear off in one. Noah studies the rest of Dan’s body for a moment and groans, eyes raking down Dan’s stomach and thighs. “God, you’re fucking beautiful,” he says, and Dan feels the breath evaporate from his chest, leaving him gasping and reaching for Noah. 

Noah kisses him for a while, tongue sweeping behind Dan’s teeth as he works a hand between them to grip Dan’s cock again. He gives it a few rough strokes before pulling back and fumbling for the lube. 

Dan closes his eyes and waits patiently with his legs spread for the familiar wet prod of well slicked fingers, but opens his eyes to find Noah staring at him all heavy eyed again. “Please, Noah,” he whispers, and Noah’s trance quickly fades. 

The first finger is slow and steady, testing the resistance of Dan’s body. It eases after a few short thrusts, and Dan presses down, urging for more, desperate to be filled. Noah smooths a hand along Dan’s bent knee and turns his mouth the kiss it quickly before adding another finger. Dan groans, back arching ever so slightly as Noah fucks him a little quicker, letting Dan grind down against his hand. He scissors his fingers a little and adds a third for good measure, grabbing the bottle of lube and squirting more on to his fingers when they appear out of Dan’s hole again. 

Dan pulls himself onto his elbows and Noah dips down for a kiss, a clumsy clatter of teeth that just makes Dan want Noah inside him even more. 

“You ready?” Noah asks, thrusting his fingers back in and angling his wrist so they hit Dan’s prostate. 

“Fuck,” Dan moans, more than once, before nodding frantically. “Yeah, I can take it. Fuck me.” 

Noah pulls his hand free and removes his boxers, grabbing the condom and lube as he gets back to his knees. He rips it open with his teeth and rolls it down his cock, sighing when he gets to touch himself for a moment. Dan watches happily as Noah strokes himself a few times, but quickly Noah stops to pour lube onto his cock. 

“Can I have you like this?” Noah asks, shuffling closer between Dan’s knees, forcing his thighs further apart. “I wanna see you.”

Dan nods and reaches for a pillow, Noah soon taking it from it him and swiftly sliding it beneath Dan’s hips. Dan reaches up and tugs Noah down by the shoulders eagerly, making Noah smirk. 

“Please, please fuck me,” Dan moans. 

Something primal flashes in Noah’s eyes, and he leans back a little so he can press the tip of his cock against Dan’s hole. He rubs the head around the rim for a few teasing seconds before easing himself inside. 

The first stretch is always a thrill for Dan, and it awakens a familiar ache to feel complete. He arches back, glasses slipping along the sweat soaked skin of his nose. It’s a satisfying sort of burn as Noah becomes fully sheathed inside him, his hands on Dan’s hips as he watches Dan get filled. When Dan finally opens his eyes, his finds Noah kneeling with his chin tucked to his chest and his mouth hung open. He looks almost drunk. 

“God, you feel so good,” Noah gasps, pulling almost all the way out so he can slowly slide back in again. 

Dan grins, running a hand through his own damp hair. “Yeah, so do you. You can move now, I’m good.” He uses the heel of his feet to tug low on Noah’s back, pulling him in closer. 

Noah plants one hand above Dan’s shoulder and runs the other down the side of Dan’s body, scooping under his ass to pull himself just that little bit deeper. Dan grips Noah’s shoulders hard, a choked moan escaping his throat as Noah does it again. 

God, Dan’s never been so well fucked in his whole life. Noah fucks him with a messy kind of precision, hips snapping in different rhythms, changing every time Dan starts to moan like he’s about to lose it. Noah stares down at Dan the whole time, like he’s really studying his face, reading every flinch of pleasure so he can chase it and pull back from it, driving Dan that delicious sort of insane. 

“Fuck, you’re perfect,” Noah pants, kissing Dan over and over as Dan just clings on with his hands and legs. “I knew you were gonna feel so good.”

Dan pulls his knees higher and moves his hands down to Noah’s ass so he can pull too, the pair of them now driving their bodies together in crashing waves as the heat of approaching release rumbles through them like thunder. Noah grabs Dan’s cock and strokes him firm and fast.

“I’m close, I’m close. I’m coming, I’m coming,” Dan chants moments later, short jets of come spilling over his stomach. Noah grunts happily, lost in the sensation and milking Dan’s orgasm from him until it becomes too much. 

Noah pushes back onto his knees, sliding out of Dan’s hole so he can rip off the condom and jack himself over Dan. 

“Yeah - fuck,” Dan groans, leaning up on his elbows to get a better view. “Come on me.”

Noah bites out a feral sort of sound as he does, thin ribbons of come shooting over Dan’s stomach to join the mess already there. He strokes himself a few more times before dipping down to run his tongue through their joined release. He hums as he does so, and if Dan were 18 he’d already be hard again as he feels Noah’s hot tongue slide over his abs. He grabs at Noah’s shoulders and pulls him up to kiss him, wanting to taste what’s making Noah so content. Noah groans into the kiss, letting their come mix around their tongues and leak sloppily from the sides of their mouths. 

The fevered kisses slow naturally, until they’re much more lingering and tender. Noah cups Dan’s cheek as he pulls back and grins down at Dan with a giddy joy Dan can’t help but reciprocate. 

Noah rolls onto his back beside Dan and lets out a breathy laugh. “Fuck. That’s the best sex I’ve had in years.”

“Oh, I bet you say that to all your customers,” Dan smiles and Noah grins and pulls himself onto his side. He pecks Dan’s shoulder lightly. “For me too,” Dan adds and then quickly twists his mouth. “And I don’t know if it’s the Canadian in me but I really want to say thank you for a great orgasm.”

Noah laughs and kisses Dan’s shoulder again. “Well, as the Canadian that was _in you_ a few minutes ago...you’re welcome.”

Dan smirks and shakes his head. “You’re terrible.”

“You love my jokes,” Noah sighs. “My terrible humor is a major turn on.”

“Mm. You’re very sure of yourself,” Dan replies, grinning as he leans up for a slow and hungry kiss. 

“Well, my results don’t lie,” Noah murmurs into Dan’s mouth, and Dan can’t really argue with that logic. 

♥

A short while later, Dan pulls Noah into a warm shower with him, completely intent on getting them both clean but incidentally ends up getting them both off. He wraps soapy fingers around both their cocks, hard from all the scrubbing of each other’s wet bodies, and jerks them to completion whilst Noah licks at the droplets collecting in the hollow of Dan’s throat. 

Dried and dressed, Noah follows Dan out of the bedroom complaining about being hungry after so much physical activity. 

“Guess you better stay for dinner, then,” Dan says, trying not to think about how much he wants to tell him to stay forever. 

Dan makes chilli, because it’s one of the handful of things he can actually make, and even though he tells Noah to make himself at home, he hovers around the kitchen instead. 

“It’s nice having someone else cook for me, it happens so rarely,” Noah says, reaching forward to steal a slice of pepper. 

“This is LA,” Dan laughs, “No one cooks for themselves.” 

“I don’t really socialise that much, outside of my theatre group of course.” 

“Oh?”

Noah steals another slice of pepper, giggling when Dan bats his hand away. “LA just isn’t really my scene. I came here for college because my best friend and my girlfriend wanted me to, but then my best friend and my girlfriend decided they’d rather be with each other and dropped out and moved back to Toronto together so I stayed here instead.”

“Oh,” Dan frowns. “I’m sorry, that’s a really shitty thing to go through.” 

Noah shrugs. “I got over it. Plus I partied so much to forget it that I ended up inventing most of the hangover food that’s on the Home on a Plate menu, so it all worked out.” 

Dan hands him another piece of pepper. 

They eat on the couch, bowls in their laps as they make plans to go to the movies during the week. It feels dangerously domestic, but Dan’s enjoying the easy back and forth, the noises and smells of having another person in his apartment. It feels nice. 

Noah takes their bowls into the kitchen and comes back with the cake box from lunch. Dan eyes light up when Noah lifts the lid to reveal the variety of pastel coloured macaroons, mouth watering as he licks his lips.

“Wow,” Noah laughs. “You didn’t even look that blissed out when you came.”

Dan snorts and rolls his eyes, thinking he’s probably going to have to get used to this terrible and inappropriate humour - but he doesn’t mind one bit. 

They eat the sweet snacks as Noah flips through the channels, and when he lands on the drama film channel and sees the setting sail scene of Titanic he cackles, “Oh my god!” Dan sighs and prepares to listen to how lame the movie is (for the millionth time in his life) and how Rose should have shared the door, but instead he finds Noah grinning. “Most people don’t know this, but this is actually my favourite film.”

“What?” Dan double takes, because - _What?_ Noah turns to him with pleading eyes.

“Do you mind if we watch this? I haven’t seen it in a while.”

“Uhm - of course. Titanic is only one of the greatest movies ever made with the perfect soundtrack, costume department, and an unforgettable performance from the most iconic film duo of our lifetime.”

Noah grins wildly, bouncing forward in his seat to place a sweet kiss on Dan’s cheek before stealing a macaroon and settling in.

They stay close together on the couch as they watch, thighs pressed together and hands near. Dan almost wants to lean against Noah, but he’s not sure of Noah’s preferences on cuddling. That is until Noah yawns and stretches dramatically, shooting a wink at Dan as he wraps an arm around Dan’s shoulders. Dan laughs and leans in, letting his head rest against the top of Noah chest. They watch the movie mostly in a comfortable silence, except for the occasional commentary about the sheer power and beauty of Kate Winslet. 

By the time the end credits roll, Dan can hear Noah’s soft even breathing against the top of his neck. He glances up to find Noah asleep, head tilted towards Dan’s slightly. He looks peaceful and so unbelievably cute, and Dan wants to fall asleep himself just so he can wake up next to Noah. Unfortunately, tomorrow is Monday and they both have to work, so Dan lightly nudges Noah’s jaw with his nose. 

“Noah,” he whispers, and surprisingly Noah’s eyes flutter right open. He blinks and sighs and shoots Dan a sleepy smile.

“Did she drop the necklace into the ocean yet?” Noah murmurs. 

Dan grins and nods. “I’m afraid so.”

“Damn, I love that part,” he yawns, arching to stretch his back as Dan sits up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. I’m not used to such active Sundays.” 

Smiling, Dan lets Noah lean up and kiss him, all sleep warm and slow and Dan wonders what Noah would taste like in the morning. He hopes he gets to find out soon. He wants to see Noah’s bare skin wrapped in sheets and brush his cheeks against Noah’s stubble. He wants to rock against Noah’s morning wood and make each other come before breakfast. 

They say goodbye at the door, Noah wrapping his arms around Dan’s waist and hugging him close. They confirm their usual Monday lunchtime ritual before kissing again and again, for much longer than necessary, until Noah reluctantly pries himself away. 

♥

Monday morning is much more depressing than usual. 

“I thought you’d be on cloud nine after finally getting the full cheese board from Noah,” Emily says as she hands Dan his usual coffee. 

Dan rolls his eyes and pulls a face. “I am happy, it’s just that being happy is making me realise how unhappy I am.”

“Okay, you might have to run that one by me again.” 

Dan groans and shakes his head. “Just work stuff, I guess. This isn’t what I want anymore.” 

Emily leans over with her kind eyes to place a soft kiss on Dan’s cheek. “Then all you have to do is stop being a pussy and put your writing talent to good use. Or you can just clock watch until lunchtime.”

Dan clock watches until lunchtime, and when he finally sees Noah’s face he feels like he can breathe again. 

Noah fixes them a plate of veggie taco fries to share, pulling Dan into a hungry kiss that’s over too soon before handing the food over. Dan wants to lock himself in Noah’s van for the rest of the day or even the rest of time, content with kissing and cooking and chasing the feeling Noah’s smile gives him. 

“Hey, I’m not working tomorrow evening. You wanna go see a movie we don’t care about and make out through the whole thing?”

Dan can’t help but smile. “Or we could go see a movie we want to watch and make out at my place after?”

Noah takes a fry and dips it in sauce. “That sounds nice but I’ve got to be up early the next day, and I only have so much willpower when it comes to your mouth.”

Dan blushes and Noah looks delighted by it. He’s disappointed but understanding, and it’s probably a good thing to keep things steady. They’re not even on the third date yet and Dan’s ready to drive off into the sunset to a life of lunch specials and food fairs. 

“Okay. Well, your plan sounds nice.”

Noah sits further back on the wall so he can pull his legs up and cross them beneath him. He lets his knee press against Dan’s thigh and reaches over for another fry, dangerously close to Dan’s crotch. 

“I was thinking, if you’re not busy, that I could come over on Friday and have you cook dinner for me again,” Noah says before following a dribble of sauce down his pinky finger with his tongue. Dan swallows, unaware if Noah is doing this on purpose or not. 

“That would be very generous of me,” Dan says quietly, eyes fixed to Noah’s tongue as it slides back up the finger. Noah quickly sucks the whole finger into his mouth as he glances at Dan with a smirk. Dan shakes his head and huffs. “You’re such a shit.”

Noah lets the finger slide out with an audible _pop_ and beams back at Dan. “Pretty much, yeah.”

♥

The week crawls by and Friday feels like an unreachable destination. Their movie date on Tuesday evening is the pick me up Dan desperately needs, and he doesn’t even mind that Noah predictably drags him to the back row corner. _Taken 2_ has been out for a while now, and various Marvel movies draw the crowds elsewhere, so their screen is is pretty much deserted save for a few other couples who obviously have the same idea. It makes Dan feel a little creepy at first, but as soon as Noah smiles at him with that deceptive innocence and uses a finger pressed to the underneath of Dan’s chin to draw their faces together, Dan forgets about everyone else. 

By the time the movie ends, Dan’s lips are numb and the inside of his mouth tastes exactly like Noah’s mouth. Yet that still doesn’t stop him pulling Noah close by his jacket lapels when they say goodbye next to Dan’s cab and kissing him like he’s already forgotten the taste. 

Wednesday is long and slow. Dan’s putting together the designs for a social advertisement campaign for MTV’s latest matchmaking show which he can usually do with his eyes closed (they’re all pretty repetitive), but he’s struggling to have the motivation to do anything more than colour code his to do list. He spends his evening watching comedy specials on Netflix and texting Noah about his work woes. Noah sends him hug emojis and the link for the writer’s retreat.

At lunch on Thursday, Noah’s got a plate of Dan’s favourite sweet potato fries and a mini bottle of red wine. He pours it into a tin camping mug, and Dan can’t help but kiss him as he hands it over. Suddenly last weekend feels so very long ago, and Dan feels like his body is itching to be pressed against Noah’s bare skin again. As if Noah can sense Dan’s need, he keeps a hand on Dan’s thigh to keep him grounded, and lets Dan vent a little. 

“I’m sorry,” Dan sighs. “You must think I’m such an idiot for staying in a job I hate because I’m too scared to do anything else.”

Noah squeezes Dan’s thigh gently. “Nope, not an idiot. You’re just human, Dan. You’ll figure it out.”

Dan leans to rest his head against Noah’s shoulder and lets a comfortable silence settle over them. 

♥

“It’s open!”

Dan’s putting away towels in the bathroom cupboard when Noah knocks at the door on Friday evening. As he steps out of the bathroom, Noah’s fumbling to close the door behind him as he carries his weekend duffel bag in one hand and a bouquet of white flowers in the others. 

“How’d you know it was me? I could have been anyone,” Noah says as he drops his bag by the mail table. 

“Well, I buzzed you in two minutes ago and the other food truck chef I’m dating isn’t due until tomorrow,” Dan grins. 

“God, please don’t tell me it’s the guy from _Cheese ‘em and weep_. I hate that guy.”

Dan laughs as he reaches Noah, stomach fluttering as Noah’s free arm slides around Dan’s back to pull him close for a quick kiss. “Please tell me that’s a real thing.”

Noah hums and kisses Dan again. “These are for you,” he says, motioning to the flowers.

Dan surveys the leafy bouquet and his breath catches. “Are those white roses?”

“Yeah,” Noah smiles. “Well, you were saying about how white roses are more classy but you used them on the campaign for last years matchmaking show and the VP of marketing hates do overs, even if white roses are and always will be the correct choice when depicting romance.”

“So you bought me white roses?” Dan asks, eyes wide and awe stricken. 

“So I bought you white roses,” Noah confirms, smiling like he just knows how god damn adorable he is. 

“Mkay, I’m just gonna take these, thank you by the way,” Dan murmurs, scooping up the flowers and turning to set them on the sideboard. When he turns back, Noah’s looking at him expectantly, all doe eyed and curious. 

“Everything ok?” He smiles, lips pulling into a grin as Dan backs him against the closed door and fastens their lips together. 

Dan needs the kiss, needs it with every fibre of his being and Noah seems more than willing to give it to him. He wraps his arms around Dan’s waist and opens to him instantly, and Dan gets lost in the warmth of Noah’s mouth. Noah knows Dan has struggled this week, and he wants to make him forget. 

“Tell me what you need,” Noah pulls away to murmur, and Dan hides his face in Noah’s neck. He bites softly, because he knows Noah likes it, and is rewarded with a quiet moan and gentle arch of Noah’s solid body. 

“I just want to empty my head,” Dan says, _and fill it with you_ , he doesn’t say. 

Luckily the bedroom isn’t too far from the doorway, otherwise they might not have made it as they refuse to stop kissing. That is until Noah presses Dan into the bedroom door frame and pulls back to get Dan’s sweater over his head. They laugh as Dan’s glasses get stuck and Dan huffs as Noah straightens them for him. 

“Sorry, I keep meaning to put my contacts in,” Dan says, and Noah kisses the arm of the glasses where they meet Dan’s ear. 

“Don’t. I like it when you look like you,” he whispers. Noah then drops to his knees and lifts Dan’s foot so he can slide off his shoe. “Plus, I like it when you look down at me through them.”

Dan bites on a smirk and lets Noah undress him, pulling him to his feet and helping Noah fumble with his own clothes until Dan is finally on his back on the bed with Noah between his legs, kissing up his throat. When Dan turns on his front to rummage through the draw for lube and condoms, Noah licks a long, wet stripe up Dan’s spine. 

“Fuck,” Dan moans, grinding into the mattress as Noah does it again, this time starting lower. He inhales deeply between Dan’s shoulder blades. 

“God, you smell good,” he groans, taking the lube from Dan and licking back down his body until he’s low enough to bite at Dan’s asscheek. Dan thrusts against the sheets again, tempted to start talking about his charcoal and apple body wash but feeling this is perhaps not the time, so he buries his face into a pillow and lets Noah spread his cheeks. 

With well slicked fingers Noah rubs over Dan’s hole, circling the ring of muscle with the tip of his thumb. The small sensation starts to unfurl Dan, and his content hums quickly turn to moans as Noah adds a little more pressure. 

“Noah,” Dan gasps, whining and pushing back. He wants something inside him, and he groans against the increasing pressure. What Dan doesn’t expect is for Noah’s hand to pull away and his tongue circle hot trails of lube and saliva around Dan’s hole. “Fuck, _please_ ,” Dan pants.

When Noah spears his tongue into Dan’s hole, Dan desperately yells into the room. Noah pulls back to squirt another line of lube between Dan’s cheeks, and Dan shivers as he feels it roll towards his quivering hole. Noah spreads his cheeks wider and pushes the lube further inside with his tongue before pulling back to lap over the ring. Dan can feel his body becoming more pliant as all of his senses zero in to Noah’s mouth, soft and determined as it drives Dan closer to the edge at a maddeningly slow pace. He can feel himself becoming unravelled as Noah gathers him again. 

Dan lays beneath the onslaught of Noah’s mouth until time becomes a forgotten concept, lost in the warm sensation of wet flesh and brutally precise pressure. It’s like the best fucking meditation ever, reducing Dan to a single raw and needy nerve. 

“Please, Noah. Please, fuck me,” Dan begs with a hoarse voice, sweat dampening his hair and forehead. He’s wrecked and exposed and he just wants to be filled. 

“I got you,” Noah says, running a soft hand across Dan’s back. “Don’t worry, I got you.”

Dan pulls himself onto his knees and elbows, limbs trembling as he waits for Noah to slide on the condom and slick himself up. He presses one finger and then two into Dan, scissoring for a brief moment before pulling out and pushing his cock into the well prepped hole. 

“Yes,” Dan hisses, back curling beautifully as Noah fills him to the brim. 

“Better?” Noah asks and Dan can practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice. 

Dan’s head drops as he laughs airily. “Fuck yeah.”

Noah takes Dan by the hips, pulling out just a little before pressing back in. He builds a rhythm like that, slow and deep, never pulling out too far so there’s no let up, just a constant sliding filling pressure that leaves Dan chanting Noah’s name along with a litany of curses. Dan grips the pillow, fingertips burning with force he fists the material with. 

Noah rubs his hands up Dan’s back and grabs him by the shoulders, using the leverage to rock Dan’s body back onto his cock. Dan whimpers helplessly and reaches for his own cock, sighing almost with relief as he gives it a few tugs. 

“Fuck, I’m close,” he barely has the energy to say, but Noah obviously hears him because he’s batting Dan’s hand away with a grunt. Dan whines and Noah grips the base of Dan’s cock firmly, holding his release back. 

“Not yet,” he pants, pressing his forehead to Dan’s sweat speckled back. “Don’t come yet, just a little longer. I’m gonna make it so good.”

Dan whines again but nods, biting the pillowcase as he shoves himself harder back onto Noah’s thick cock. Noah starts pulling out further, almost all the way before thrusting back in, hips snapping and rolling, and the change of pressure has Dan shouting into the pillow, so close to losing his mind. 

“I—I need,” he chokes. 

Noah loosens his grip and starts jacking Dan frantically, and before Dan even realises he’s coming hard, harder than he’s come in a long time. Noah keeps going, thrusting steadily into Dan until his whole body stills and he comes too, filling the condom and scraping his mouth against Dan’s skin. 

“Fuck, Daniel...that was,” but Noah doesn’t have the words. Neither does Dan, and as soon as Noah pulls out carefully Dan collapses onto his front. He feels a little out of it, like being tipsy and getting headrush at the same time. He feels the bed shift as Noah moves. 

“Hey,” Dan croaks, trying and failing to look over his shoulder. Noah’s hand soothes over the back of his calf. 

“I’ll be back in a second, don’t go anywhere.”

 _Where the hell am I gonna go after you fucked my soul out?_ Dan wishes he had the energy to say, but instead he listens to the sounds of Noah padding softly across the apartment. He hears a tap turning, water running, toilet flushing, cupboard opening, and then it’s quiet for a few moments - or maybe he’s just falling asleep. 

The feel of a warm damp cloth running over the tops of his thighs brings Dan back round again. He startles at first but then sighs contently as Noah kisses his shoulder and continues to clean him up.

“Turn over,” Noah whispers, and as Dan rolls onto his back Noah strips the top sheet with the wet spot down. He cleans Dan’s front quickly and quietly, peppering kisses along his shoulders and chest as he goes. Dan’s too out of it to care how vulnerable he is, though it’s hard to feel vulnerable when Noah handles him so carefully and confidently. 

The last thing Dan feels is the warmth of a blanket that’s thrown over his spent body and Noah’s lips against his temple. 

♥

When Dan wakes, he’s a little confused. He blinks into the dimly lit room as he hears clinking sounds in the kitchen. He sits up slowly, the blanket falling along his bare skin and into his lap. He’s naked and sore and feels absolutely wonderful. 

He pulls on a comfy pair of sweats and a clean T-shirt and stretches by the door before going to find Noah. 

Noah’s in the kitchen grilling sandwiches, and the smell of cheese and bacon hits Dan’s nose pleasantly. He hums happily and Noah turns with a smile as he flips the bread on the skillet, grinning widely as Dan kisses his cheek. 

“Hey,” Dan says. “Sorry I passed out on you.”

Noah grabs a plate and slides the sandwich onto it. “Don’t be. If anything, it’s a compliment.”

Dan blushes and hides his face against Noah’s shoulder with a groan. “It’s been a tough week,” he mumbles. 

Noah presses a kiss to Dan’s temple and hands him the plate. “I know. Cheese will make it better.”

Dan sighs. “You know me so well.”

Noah also warms up tomato soup in a pan to go with the grilled cheeses and bacon sandwiches, and when Dan’s finally sat at the breakfast bar dipping the sandwich into the creamy rich soup he moans gratefully.

“Would you three like some privacy?” Noah laughs as he sets down a glass of wine in front of Dan, who’s too busy moaning over another bite to say thank you. 

“Yes, please leave,” Dan says, moaning again and reaching for the glass. He takes a sip, sighs and then quickly eyes the glass curiously. “I’ve just realised I didn’t have any wine or cheese in. Did you bring over snacks to seduce me?”

Noah blinks and takes a slow sip of wine. “Maybe.”

Dan feels seen, delighted and completely charmed. “Wow, you really do know me.”

When they finish, Dan loads the dishwasher as Noah pours them both another glass of wine and takes them into the living room. Dan makes a bowl of popcorn whilst Noah shouts movie suggestions, and they finally settle on Inception, because clearly neither of them can get enough of Leonardo DiCaprio. 

They share the popcorn and a blanket as they watch, Noah’s legs stretched out on the coffee table and Dan tucked into Noah’s side. It’s the kind of comfortable that makes Dan wonder how he ever did this with anyone else, even though the thought terrifies him. Noah’s got an arm around Dan’s waist and his fingers begin to lightly stroke the strip of skin visible beneath the hem of his T-shirt, just by his hip. Dan nuzzles his face into Noah’s neck, pushing his hip against Noah’s hand in approval. 

As soon as Noah turns to look at him, Dan leans in to kiss him. It’s a slow kiss, different from the desperate rush of earlier, instead it’s deep and wet and warm. Noah tastes like butter and wine and Dan curls his tongue against the delicious taste as Noah cups the back of his neck. Dan runs a hand down Noah’s chest and up under his T-shirt, scraping his blunt nails over Noah’s stomach. Noah moans and Dan grins into the kiss before pulling back completely and sliding to the floor between Noah’s parted knees. 

Dan puts whatever energy he has into giving Noah a blowjob that encapsulates how grateful he is for before, for Noah giving him everything he needed. He wastes no time getting right to it, letting little rivets of saliva dribble down Noah’s cock until he’s wet enough to let Dan slide that gorgeous cock right down his throat. Noah threads his fingers into Dan’s hair and groans, and when Dan looks up to find Noah staring down at him with a lust filled gaze, he closes his eyes and swallows hard. 

It doesn’t take long before Noah’s moans are hiccuping out of his mouth, head thrown back and hands tight in Dan’s hair as he announces he’s going to come. Dan takes it all, lips tight around the head of Noah’s cock so he doesn’t spill any, leaving his warm mouth over the sensitive flesh even after Noah’s empty. He holds Noah there, safe and spent until Noah’s breathing returns to normal. Dan climbs back onto the couch and kisses him, thumbs tucked behind Noah’s ears as he realises he never wants to let go. 

♥

Noah has to leave at lunchtime the next day to get ready for an evening food festival he’s vending at. They have their fun in the morning, ordering blueberry pancakes from Dan’s favourite breakfast place after they’ve come grinding against each other at a ridiculously lazy pace. They eat and shower and Dan kisses Noah goodbye from his desk at the back wall of the living room, unable to watch Noah leave and admit to himself that he’s starting to need Noah by his side to feel right. 

In his empty and suddenly too big apartment, Dan sips his coffee and opens his laptop. It blinks to life on the last page he’d been browsing - the sign up for the writers retreat that miraculously still has spaces despite being only four weeks away. Dan stares at the form for he doesn’t know how long, thinking back over the difficult week and his future at MTV, trying to decide if his fear of failure is greater than his fear of the mundane.

Dan sighs, takes another sip and continues to stare at the screen. 

♥

“You’re jealous, tell me you’re jealous,” Dan grins, phone caught between his head and shoulder as he unwraps his burrito. 

Noah chuckles from the other end of the line. “I’m not jealous, Dan.”

Dan smells the burrito, inhaling slowly and groaning. “Mm, this is such an exquisite lunch item.”

Wednesdays are boring and not nearly as satisfying when it comes to lunchtime. The burrito is subpar, just something from the food court in the mall around the corner. It probably tasted a lot better a few months ago before his lunchtimes had been reinvented by a certain fry and grill master. 

“I’m sure it is,” Noah comments, still feigning nonchalance. They’ve yet to get to the point of the call but it’s just so nice to hear Noah’s voice that Dan doesn’t feel like hurrying along. He declines back in his chair with the phone in one hand and snack in the other and takes a slow bite. 

“Mmmm,” he groans. “The cheese selection in this burrito is truly exquisite.”

Noah gasps. “Now that’s too far.”

Laughing with Noah feels as natural as breathing. It’s familiar and wonderful and spreads through Dan’s body like gently slipping into a warm bath. They’ve been talking and texting every day since last weekend, and it’s a little terrifying how easily Noah’s become a part of Dan’s everyday life. Dan can’t remember a time when that little van and the dorky fry cook inside didn’t fill him with joy. 

“I’m sorry, I know I’ve committed the ultimate sin of enjoying another man’s lunch cheese choices. Can you ever forgive me?” 

“Maybe. If you come to dinner with me tonight,” Noah says. 

Dan smiles, excitement gripping his chest at the thought of seeing Noah tonight. “I could be convinced. What did you have in mind?” 

“A friend of mine is opening their restaurant and wants me to bring some people.” 

“That sounds great!”

“I should probably ask what your relationship with weed is first.”

“Oh. Well, we were pretty hot and heavy in college but these days we have the occasional booty call that’s usually facilitated by Emily.”

Noah chuckles. “Okay, I get it. So, you up for a booty call of the culinary kind from your old hemp lover?”

“You mean edibles? They’re a weed chef?” Dan asks giddily. He hasn’t gotten high in a while, not since Emily’s last bad breakup, but he’s definitely been itching for something to get him out of his head. Well...other than sex with Noah, of course.

“Yeah. I’m glad you’re excited. I should have known someone with seven Pinterest boards on snack combinations was at least an occasional stoner.”

Dan bites at his lip to try and contain the smirk. “So, what time are you picking me up?” 

“Why don’t you bring Emily and Annie and meet me there at seven?”

Dan stops smiling. “You want - you want me to bring my friends?”

“Of course. Well, my friends will be there so you’ll probably be more comfortable with yours there,” Noah explains, thoughtful and reasonable and just so god damn _Noah_. Dan swallows against the anxiety and grinds it down to the bottom. 

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. That sounds nice.”

“Mm. So - I’m sensing some apprehension,” Noah says and Dan can tell right away that he’s smiling. 

“No, no, I’m fine. If you think our young relationship can handle our friends high in the same room then I am eighty seven percent behind you.”

Noah laughs. “Good to know. I’ll text you the address.”

Part of Dan hopes that Emily and Annie are busy tonight, but when he sends the message to the group chat and two excited shadows appear outside his office door he knows he’s not going to be getting away that easily. 

“Damnit,” he mumbles, hoping he’s got enough time between now and seven to politely threaten them into behaving. 

♥

There’s a bubble of nervous excitement that takes Dan’s breath away as they approach the small hidden entrance of Tree House restaurant. It’s only been two days since he last saw Noah, but he’s aching to see that gorgeous face like he’s been away at sea for months. It’s even overriding his anxiety about unleashing their friends on each other. 

When the door swings open, an instant warmth envelopes them. The restaurant is a cozy and open space, large lush chairs and dark wooden coffee tables in the centre and a bar running around the outside is a wide U bend, low and wide and lined with black leather stools. There’s fine twinkling lights lining the walls, and the warm, safe feeling the whole place is radiating definitely reminds Dan of back home. The rooms about half filled with people milling around, chatting quietly and sipping drinks. Dan spots Noah at a table near the back, laughing with a hipster looking couple Dan thinks he remembers from Drunk Shakespeare. 

Noah looks up and smiles so genuinely when their eyes meet, instantly pushing himself to his feet. He’s wearing a black T-shirt under a grey denim open shirt, there’s a slight shadow of stubble across his jaw and his skin looks golden in the soft light of the room. He looks delicious. Dan licks his lips as Noah makes his way over, too entranced in the way those jeans hug at Noah’s hips to notice Annie and Emily surging by him. 

“Evening, all!” Noah announces, accepting the hugs Emily and Annie dote on him at the same time. They kiss a cheek each and Noah laughs, wiping at the smudge of Annie’s lipstick when they pull away. He moves to Dan with ease, cupping his cheek and bringing their mouths together in a short but sweet kiss. “Hey, you.”

“Hi,” Dan grins back, tempted to pull Noah back in for a deeper kiss but quickly deciding against it. 

“Thanks for the invite, Noah,” Annie says, resting both hands on one of Noah’s shoulders as she sidles up to him. “That was really nice of you, and incredibly brave.” 

“Dan has assured me you’re both absolute saints with no embarrassing stories that can be bribed out of you with free food and drugs,” Noah states with his sweetest smile. 

“Hmm, sounds fake but okay,” says Annie as she boops Noah’s nose and then lets him rest against Dan’s side again. 

“Hey, Stacey!” Noah suddenly call, rearing up on his toes and waving someone over. A young woman makes her way over, pretty and delicate looking even in the boxy chef jacket. Her red hair is tied high in a messy bun, and she shoves a pen into it as she finally gets to them. 

Noah leaves Dan’s side to hug her, but places his arm back around Dan’s waist once they part. It makes Dan feel so completely seen with no one looking at him. 

“Noah, I’m so glad you came!” Stacey gushes. “And you brought some new friends.”

“I certainly did. This is Annie and Emily and this of course is Dan,” Noah introduces, smiling warmly at Dan as he gives a little wave. 

“Of course you’re Dan!” Stacy laughs. “I could have picked you out of a line up after Noah’s mushy descriptions of you.”

Annie and Emily’s eyes shine brilliantly, smirks deepening like they’ve found an ally in the war to make this evening as embarrassing as possible. 

“Oh my god, you had to go through that too?” Emily says with fake seriousness. 

Stacey nods solemnly. “I’ve never heard a grown man use the word _dreamy_ before.”

Noah flushes, eyes narrowing at his friend. “Alright, that’s enough from you about that. Why don’t you tell them about the food tonight?”

“Of course!” Stacey claps her hands together. “So the set menu tonight is all Japanese inspired. There’s a mixed vegetable tempura appetiser with sativa infused batter, a main of crab hand rolls with crab meat that’s been sautéed in a hybrid cannibutter, and for dessert green tea ice cream that’s been made with a nice relaxing indica.”

“Wow, that sounds amazing. Japan is my favourite place in the world,” Dan says and Stacey grins. 

“Mine too! I’m going to pick your brain about that later, but first, can I get you guys a drink?”

“I don’t think I should mix,” Emily sighs. “That never ends well.”

“Oh, I know,” says Stacey, side eyeing Noah. “That’s why it’s a dry bar. We’ve got great virgin cocktails and some zero percent beers and wines. This one has thrown up one too many times in my car after beer chugs and bong tokes.”

“Hey!” Noah protests as the girls giggle. “College was a stressful time.”

“Oh, sure, sure. If by college you mean last New Years,” Stacey pokes and Noah pulls a semi-threatening face. 

“Yknow, I think I can smell the sushi burning. Maybe you better get back to the kitchen.”

Stacey sticks her tongue out at Noah quickly before turning to the girls. “Ladies, would you like to join me at the bar? You can tell me about all the adorably pathetic texts you’ve had to put up with recently.”

“With pleasure!” Annie claps, and then they’re scurrying away in the direction of the bar. 

Noah tightens his arm around Dan’s side. “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” he says and Dan’s stomach drops on instinct before he sees that Noah is smiling. His eyes trail over Dan’s face slowly. “Then again, if they’re keeping each other distracted I might be able to kiss you like I want to a few times tonight, and not have them cheerleading from the corner.” 

Dan bites his lip to make Noah’s eyes fall on his mouth again. He leans in close, just a breath away from Noah’s pink lips. “What if we get to the corner first?” Dan murmurs. 

Noah grins and closes the gap between them, threading both arms around Dan’s waist as he pulls him in tight for a deeper kiss. It’s the deepest kiss they’ve shared in a room full of people, and it feels so wonderfully normal that for the first time in his life, Dan isn’t the first one to pull back. 

♥

There are twenty minute breaks between the end of each course and the start of the next. The portions are sizeable (though not ridiculously so) and absolutely delicious. The sativa in the tempura saturates Dan’s brain nicely, almost bubble wrapping his anxiety so there’s no sharp edges when Noah introduces him to his theatre group. 

“You need to help us convince Noah to do the next Drunk Shakespeare,” says Sean, a buff sort of guy with an impressive beard. They’ve just finished the second course and the hybrid is keeping the words tumbling easily from Dan’s mouth whilst also letting a relaxing warmth spread through his neck and shoulders. 

Noah smiles and rolls his eyes, leaning his elbows on the bar so that Sean can talk to Dan over him. 

“I’m not normally the Shakespeare type, so I don’t think I’d be very good at convincing him.”

Sean wiggles his eyebrows. “Oh, I bet you’d find a way.” 

Dan bursts out laughing as Noah flips Sean off, trying and failing to hide his flushed cheeks as he turns away from Dan. 

Before dessert comes out, Stacey shoos Noah off his stool so she can sit next to Dan and gush about Japan. Dan has been a handful of times and it really is his favourite place on Earth, so getting to talk about it with someone on the same wavelength when his anxiety is smothered feels amazing. When Noah appears back at his side and wraps an arm around Dan’s waist, Dan realises this is probably the most comfortable he’s been around situations so new in his entire adult life. It’s a feeling he wants to keep a hold of.

The ice cream is some of the best he’s ever had. It’s light, refreshing but also completely satisfying. Dan feels sated and comfortable, and after dessert is finished he’s all too happy to follow his friends to the large plush chairs. He lets Noah sit down first, and when he looks up at Dan with his gorgeously relaxed features and warm smile, Dan can’t stop himself from sitting on the wide arm of the chair and swinging his legs over Noah’s lap. Noah tugs at Dan’s waist until he slides onto his lap, legs resting over the other arm. Dan winds his arms around Noah’s shoulders and smiles dopily, enjoying the feeling of Noah’s large hands pressed against his lower back. He feels so secure and content that he doesn’t even care about the snickers from his friends opposite. 

Annie and Emily chat with one of the theatre girls about college weed and dorm parties, and Dan listens lazily to the conversation with his head resting on Noah’s shoulder. He wishes he could bottle this feeling, this utter contentment and sense of everlasting calm, and keep it in his desk drawer. 

Noah brushes his nose against the shell of Dan’s ear and murmurs, “Can I come home with you tonight?”

Dan glances up, wishing the chair beneath them would melt away and some force would pour them into his bedroom. “Mmhm. I’d like that.”

“Me too,” Noah smiles softly. “I don’t want to let you go just yet.” 

♥

They hug and hug and hug their friends goodbye. Dan loses count of the hugs and handshakes and promises to talk again, but he knows he means every one of them. He beams as Annie and Emily fawn over Noah, kissing his cheeks and making dumb jokes. Dan wants every night out to end like this, and he sends a promise back to his 25 year old self alone in the corner of some over hyped club that things will get better. 

In the cab on the way home, Noah keeps his warm body pressed close to Dan’s. Dan watches the night blur by out the window, and suddenly Noah’s fingers slide through his. Dan can feel his heart beating in his ears as he lets out a shaky breath, and he squeezes Noah’s hand back tightly. 

At Dan’s apartment door, Noah wraps himself around Dan’s back as he tries to unlock it. Noah sniffs at Dan’s neck. “You always smell so good,” he says. 

Dan chews on a smile as he finally gets the door open, and he wraps a hand around Noah’s wrist and pulls him inside. 

“Wanna go to bed?” Dan asks, already heading for the bedroom. 

“Mhm,” Noah hums.

“Wanna go to sleep?” Dan shoots over his shoulder. 

“Soon,” Noah whispers and then swallows. Dan makes a pleased little sound and pulls Noah along quicker. 

Noah’s body is moving slowly beneath Dan’s on the bed, careful and tender as he holds onto Dan’s hips and pulls them down in rolling motions. Dan has a leg slotted between Noah’s and the friction is delicious. They’d only gotten halfway through taking off their clothes as they tumbled into bed, kissing the way they’ve wanted to all night, so now Dan is shirtless but Noah’s is shoved up to his armpits and they’re both in their boxers, though Dan’s jeans are still caught around one leg. 

Noah threads his fingers into Dan’s hair, scraping against his scalp as he pulls Dan down into a deeper kiss. Dan can still feel the full indica of dessert rolling over his joints, making his body almost liquid against Noah’s. He’s so hard and so is Noah, but they’re too relaxed to do anything other than grind purposely against each other. 

Dan pushes both of their underwear down slightly before Noah pulls his hand away and brings it to his mouth. He sucks on Dan’s fingers sloppily, lapping smears of saliva over all fingers and palm. Dan moans and Noah lets his fingers pop out of his mouth so he can guide Dan’s hand to wrap around both of their cocks. Dan’s fingers tighten and they both moan, Noah staring down at their cocks as they slide together. He thrusts his head back into the pillow and pants and _fuck_ he looks good. Dan’s eyes rake over Noah face, his glowing skin and soft dark stubble, his sweeping lashes and wet lips. 

“You’re stunning,” Dan whispers as he slowly squeezes his fingers along their cocks. Noah gasps and smirks, eyes fluttering open. 

“You’re high,” Noah chuckles and Dan dips to suck a faint bruise on Noah’s throat. 

“Mm, yeah, but you’ll still be stunning tomorrow,” he says and Noah fixes him with a completely open look of adoration. 

“Kiss me,” Noah asks quietly and Dan does so feverishly, jerking them both with no sense of hurry, as though this moment will stretch out like warm taffy. 

By the time they eventually come, Noah first and Dan several moments later, they’re both sluggish and happy. They help each other out of the remainder of their clothes and wipe up the mess until they can curl around each other, skin on skin. Noah’s head rests on Dan’s shoulder as he throws an arm over Dan’s waist and sighs contently. 

What follows is the greatest sleep Dan’s had in years. 

♥

At lunch on Friday, Annie and Emily join them on their wall. They share two plates of fries between them and laugh about the night at the restaurant. When Noah starts talking about weird cookbooks he owns Dan realises he hasn’t actually been to Noah’s place yet, and suddenly the aesthetic of Noah’s home life is all Dan can think about. 

“Thug Kitchen is probably my favourite,” Noah’s saying to Annie. “It’s mostly things you can eat with your hands. It’s so messy and satisfying!”

“You should make me something this weekend,” Dan says, before adding more purposely, “at your place.”

Noah tilts his head and gives Dan a quietly questioning look for a moment until he finally smiles and nods shortly. “Sure. You can come by tonight, if you’re free.” 

“I’m free!” Annie calls and Emily excitedly puts up her hand too. 

Noah laughs shyly and rubs the back of his neck. “We’d have to change venue if you all came, my place is pretty small.”

“Oh, they’re not coming,” Dan says, and when Emily and Annie make disgruntled noises of protest he turns to add, “ _this time_. We’ll arrange something, and maybe invite Stacey too?”

Annie and Emily clap wildly as Noah nods in agreement. “That’s a great idea. I’ll message you my address for tonight.”

♥

“Tah-dah!” Noah announces as he swings open his apartment door to greet Dan. 

Dan’s mouth twists. “Uhm, is this how we’re greeting each other now?” 

“No, I just thought you might be expecting something a little nicer,” Noah says as stands aside to let Dan into the studio apartment, “or something with more than two rooms - so I thought I’d compensate with an exciting greeting.”

The apartment itself is simple, small but full of natural light. There’s a large window against the far wall full of black lined squares of glass, and that’s where Noah’s bed sits, the wire headboard flush against the cold glass. The living area is slender and long with a couch, two chairs and a coffee table. The kitchen is extremely neat and tidy save for the pot on the stove that’s simmering away. The door to the bathroom has a food festival poster tacked to it with a large graphic of Noah’s truck. 

There’s a lot of grey and brown in the apartment but it’s all clean, sleek block colours that slot the areas of the apartment together nicely. There’s a large frameless mirror on the wall opposite the window and a few large house plants in pots and hanging baskets, making the whole place light and airy. 

“Yeah,” Noah sighs. “I know it’s not West Hollywood but it’s enough for me.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “Okay, so before you bust out into a chorus of _Common People_ , this place is gorgeous and completely you.”

Noah chews on his smile and glances around the apartment. “Really?” 

Dropping his bag, Dan walks to the centre of the living space and twirls. “Look at all this daylight! Look at this rustic mirror and these well fed house plants.” Noah laughs before folding his arms and regaining composure. Dan turns to the bed and then back at Noah with a smirk. “Look at how easy it is to get from the living room to the bed.”

Noah follows Dan over to the large king size bed covered in grey checkered sheets. Dan toes off his shoes and climbs onto the bed, flopping on his stomach and staring at the warped glass and blurred shapes of the outside world. It’s quite peaceful, and Dan can’t wait to see the light of the place in the morning. 

When he turns onto his side he finds Noah staring at him with the softest little smile. Dan flushes and glances from side to side. “What?”

Noah shakes his head and shuffles closer before clambering onto the bed next to Dan. He pushes Dan onto his back and pulls him up with a hand on the nape of his neck into a wet and wanting kiss that leaves Dan breathless.

“You look good in my apartment,” Noah says, eyes flashing with honestly as he takes in Dan’s gentle expression. 

Dan smiles and rubs his hands over Noah’s shoulders before pulling him back in for another kiss. 

♥

Noah makes sweet potato al Pastor tacos for dinner, and they’re absolutely _amazing_. They eat together on the couch, plates clutched beneath their chins to catch the fallout as they attack the food. Dan loves every mouthful, and he doesn’t even mind that he must look extremely unattractive as he tears the tacos apart. 

“Oh my god,” Noah groans, and the sound makes Dan very aware they haven’t spoken since the started eating. “They were even better than I remembered.”

“I’m in a coma of satisfaction and I hope I never wake up,” Dan says as he lowers the plate on to his lap and sinks back into the couch. 

They both sigh happily before turning to give each other lazy smiles. 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Noah asks after a moment. 

“Nothing planned, but I’ll be out of your hair before you need to leave,” Dan replies. Saturdays are always Noah’s busiest day and he’s already sacrificed one or two for Dan. 

Noah rests his hand by Dan’s and begins to tap his fingertips lightly over the back of Dan’s hand. “Actually I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with me. I’ve got a spot at a craft fair and then I said I’d help the theatre guys set up for a new Drunk Shakespeare night, but I’m pretty sure Sean just wants to corner me about taking part.”

“Oh,” Dan smiles, and he doesn’t know if it’s all the endorphins from dinner but he feels fluttery and content. 

“I mean, you don’t have to, it’s not-” Noah starts to back-pedal. 

“—no, no. I want to!” Dan interrupts, turning his hand over so he can capture Noah’s fingers against his palm. “I’d love to. I like spending time with you.”

“Great,” Noah grins. “And if you really want to spend as much time with me as possible, you can always come do the dishes with me.”

Dan pulls a face and Noah laughs but still gets up, pulling Dan along with him. He doesn’t complain about doing the dishes, but mostly because Noah does all the work. Dan watches Noah wash the dishes, waiting patiently with the dish towel ready in hand. They work through the few dishes and pans one by one until the sink is gurgling as it empties out the water. Noah scrubs down the sink and holds his hand out for the towel.

“Can I have that?”

“Sure, baby,” Dan says as he passes it over, freezing completely just a beat of a second after the words leave his lips. He can see that Noah’s suppressing a smirk, eyes bright with amusement. “I - I didn’t. I didn’t mean to…”

“Didn’t mean to what?” Noah asks innocently, bracing his arms against the sink so that his forearms flex. He looks delighted by Dan’s panic.

Dan swallows. God, he’s an idiot. Noah’s going to troll him forever with this. “It just slipped out. I didn’t mean to,” Dan doesn’t even want to say the words again or what they imply. He forgets. He’s been fantasising about Noah and his fry basket hauling forearms since the start and there have been no relationship talks at all. Which is fine. Really. He’s having fun falling in love. He breathes in and out slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Noah’s brows furrow in confusion “Why?”

“Uhm.” Dan’s got no idea how to answer that. How does he answer that? Noah moves to bracket Dan against the unit, still searching his face for an answer.

“You know I like you, right?” 

Dan studies the curve of Noah’s jaw, the fading patch of stubble under his bottom lip, the arch of his mouth - anything to not have to look him in the eye. 

“Yeah,” he whispers, mouth suddenly dry. He can’t decide if he’s nervous or excited or just plain terrified. 

“And do you think I’m seeing anyone else?” Noah’s keeping a respectful distance between them even with his hands on the counter either side of Dan’s hips. 

Dan shakes his head slowly. “No…”

“Are _you_ seeing anyone else?” 

It’s a completely valid and fair question that he knows isn’t asked with any accusation, but still it stings a little. 

“No, I — I don’t want to.”

Noah smiles almost like he’s surprised at the answer which is...which is fucking crazy because surely the crew on the International Space Station can see how hard Dan is falling for this guy. 

“Good, because I don’t want to either. So as long as you’re not calling anyone else ‘baby’, you can say it all you want.” Noah’s face is so close now and Dan still can’t take his eyes off Noah’s mouth, though now it’s for a completely different reason. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be saying it for a while until I get over this embarrassment,” Dan says and Noah smiles and licks his lips. Dan almost makes a pathetic little noise of pure _want_ but he pulls it back just in time. 

“Really? Coz, I kinda like it,” Noah murmurs and Dan can’t even tell if he’s joking. He closes in, pressing his hips to Dan’s and dragging his hands over Dan’s sides. Dan holds on to Noah’s shoulders instinctively, watching his perfect mouth as it moves. “In fact, I think I might do whatever I can to hear you say it again.”

Dan closes his eyes for a kiss that doesn’t land, instead he feels a brief loss of warmth, hands dropping down with Noah shoulders until there’s pressure against his stomach. He opens his eyes to find Noah on his knees, pressing his forehead into Dan’s stomach as he starts to run his hands up and down Dan’s thighs. 

“Noah,” Dan gasps as one of Noah’s hands travels to the crotch of Dan’s jeans, cupping and squeezing just right. 

“Oh, we can do better than that,” Noah says, gazing up at Dan with a smirk.

Dan chuckles. “Still not saying it.”

Noah licks his lips. “We’ll see…”

He makes quick work of Dan’s belt and jeans, tugging forcefully until they’re around his thighs. Noah groans and leans forward to suck a wet spot on the soft cotton of Dan’s boxers, stretched thin over his hardening cock. 

Dan’s head hangs back, eyes closed, mouth open as he revels in the rough wetness of the cotton. Noah’s tongue is warm as he pushes it flat against Dan’s covered cock. 

“Fuck, _Noah_...” Dan drawls, hands clutching Noah’s shoulders. Noah dips his thumbs into the waistband of Dan’s underwear and drags the material so slowly down Dan’s cock that he gasps when his now full erection finally springs free. “Jesus,” Dan breathes.

“Hm, closer, but not what I’m looking for,” Noah smirks before sucking a light bruise onto Dan’s bare hip. 

“Fuck, what is it with you and kitchens?” Dan groans in anything but complaint, tilting his hip to urge Noah’s mouth towards his cock. 

What follows is quite possibly the most enthusiastic blow job Dan’s ever had in his life. Noah sucks and hums and groans and nips, alternating between slobbering his spit filled mouth up and down Dan’s cock to sucking slow with lips pressed in a tight circle. Dan grabs onto the units, nails scraping against the wood as his hold on giving Noah what he wants weakens. He can’t keep looking down at Noah’s relaxed face and soft eyelashes sweeping against his pale cheeks. God, how can one person look so pure and beautiful when giving such a filthy blow job?

Noah takes one of Dan’s hands from the unit and places it in his hair, opening his eyes to smirk dangerously up at Dan. He’s playing dirty, so fucking dirty and Dan doesn’t even care. He tugs a little more than lightly at Noah’s hair and Noah moans encouragingly, taking Dan’s throbbing cock even deeper. The walls of Noah’s throat are ridged just right, like it was made to hold Dan’s cock, and that thought alone is enough to make Dan lose his mind. He slides his fingers down the back of Noah’s head to cup the base of his skull. 

“Fuck, Noah — I’m close, fuck — _baby_ I’m so close.”

Noah pulls back but wraps a hand around Dan’s cock, jerking him quickly in his firm grip. “What was that?” Noah smirks and Dan gasps down at him. He doesn’t know if he wants to kiss that smile or come on it.

“Baby,” Dan pushes out in a hurried whisper. “Please, I need to come - _please_ baby.”

Noah devours Dan’s cock again and it takes less than a complete thrust before Dan is coming, digging his nails into Noah’s shoulders as his orgasm shakes him from head to toe. 

When Noah’s finished licking Dan clean and Dan has regained the ability to breathe, he rocks back on his knees and thrusts his arms into the air in triumph. 

“You’re never going to let this go are you?” Dan pants. Noah slides back up Dan’s body as he pulls himself to his feet. He pecks Dan’s lips quickly. 

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t tease you mercilessly?” Noah asks, but instead of waiting for an answer he kisses Dan again before striding back into the living room, leaving Dan still panting with his jeans around his knees looking befuddled. 

“Wait, what was that? What kind of what?” Dan calls after him, but Noah’s too busy grinning to answer. 

♥

Dan’s only woken up with Noah a handful of times, but in that time he’s learned that Noah often wakes up _horny_. After Dan had repaid Noah for the spectacular kitchen blowjob (and for being the first one to use the B word with such certainty), they watched movies and ate popcorn before climbing into bed to kiss and fall asleep, legs wound together and sharing a pillow. Dan woke in the early morning with Noah’s impressive morning wood pressing into the very bottom of his lower back, and he’d rocked against it sleepily to see if Noah was awake. 

Now Dan’s moaning and gasping with his legs wrapped around Noah’s waist as Noah rocks back on his knees, large hands at Dan’s hips as he fucks into Dan with an early morning energy Dan could only possess after twelve coffees and a sketchy deal with the devil. So he simply hangs on and let’s Noah bring them both to orgasm, marvelling are Noah’s pale skin glistening in all that glorious daylight. 

Afterward they shower and get ready for the day, and as Noah runs his finger down a page in his notebook and mutters to himself about potato orders, Dan realises he’s about to see another part of Noah’s world that he’s only had glimpses of before. It’s thrilling and exciting, and Dan hopes more than anything that he fits into Noah’s world as well as Noah fits into his. 

♥

It turns out that Noah’s world is wonderfully creative, and Dan scolds himself does never fully realising exactly just how much of a network Noah’s built for himself. They stop by an odd looking white warehouse to pick up large tubs of vegetable oil from a cute Swedish couple, one of them throwing her bracelet clad arms around Noah in a strong hug after she eyes Dan. From there they pick up organic fries from a group of fellow Canadians who spend a good fifteen minutes high fiving about the latest baseball results. After that they’re at an Italian bakery (that smells like heaven) for bread and several kinds of meats, which is conveniently across the road from the Danish cheesemonger’s. Finally, they stop by a small independent grocery store run by the loveliest Indian woman, who already has Noah’s order of various herbs and spices boxed up and ready to go. She smiles warmly at Dan before smirking and winking knowingly at Noah, and Dan swears he sees Noah blush. 

“Wow, you really do have a whole operation set up here, don’t you?” Dan marvels as he watches Noah set up at the fair. He’s organising the bags of fries by the small fryer and setting the jars of spices on the shelf overhead. 

Noah chuckles and nods. “Well, you kind of have to if you want to sell enough fries to live in LA.” 

Dan chews on his smile, he’s so endeared by Noah’s compatibility. “This is, I mean - you’re really impressive.”

Noah pauses and smiles so genuinely. “Thanks, baby.” 

Dan rolls his eyes and blushes. “It would be even more impressive if you made the sweet potato fries first to pay your worker.”

Noah laughs. “You mean my worker who hasn’t done any work yet?” 

With mock insult Dan huffs and struts towards Noah, coiling an arm around his neck as he reaches him. “Excuse me, but I’m wearing this gorgeous Givenchy cable knit sweater that’s really going to up your brand aesthetic.”

Noah reaches to the shelf for his navy blue cap and slaps it on his head, gripping the visor and twisting it backwards. He winks at Dan. “Ohh, I think I’ve got that covered, don’t you?”

Dan smiles with too much teeth and hisses. Noah’s face softens into playful curiosity and Dan kisses him sweetly before he starts trying to wink again. “I plead the fifth,” he mumbles into the kiss. 

Noah pulls back just to peck Dan’s lips again. “How about you and your sweater help me unbox the bread and then you can go look around the market and drum up some customers?” 

“We’d be happy to, boss.”

Noah’s brows bob suggestively. “Boss?”

Dan points his finger at Noah in the small space between them, tip grazing Noah’s chin. “I wouldn’t get used to it.” 

♥

The fair goes incredibly well, and Dan has a lot of fun flitting around the market, visiting the stalls and talking up Home (On A) Plate to anyone who’ll listen. He also picks up a few things for himself, including some gorgeous flat silver plated rings from a cute middle aged couple with dreadlocks and a set of marble coasters from a guy with face tattoos. 

Noah has a good taking, and by the time the fair winds down they’re not far from sold out. They celebrate by sharing a tray of sweet potato fries with garlic pesto mayonnaise, sitting together on thin plastic chairs outside of the shut up van before heading downtown to the theatre. 

Noah’s theatre friends are happy to see them, and even happier to see the large tray of leftover fries they bring in from the van. 

“So, did you convince him to do drunk Hamlet?” Sean from the restaurant asks Dan as he piles a handful of fries onto a slice of bread. 

“Uhm, I’m not sure what’s in it for me, though?” Dan says, leaning back against the wall and watching Noah as he laughs at some funny story he’s being told just across the room, looking so unassumingly gorgeous. 

“I’m sorry, are you saying you _don’t_ want to see your tipsy boyfriend giggle his way through Shakespearean text whilst wearing a particularly tight costume?”

Dan drags his gaze down Noah’s body from shoulder to thigh. “Well…how tight?”

Sean laughs. “You should meet Jenny in costume. She’s a perv but she’s got great vision.”

“I would _love_ to meet Jenny.” 

Jenny is everything Dan had pictured, and more. She’s a petite little thing with gorgeous skin and brown hair flowing messily over her earthy coloured cardigan. She’s artistic and witty and definitely Dan’s kind of perv. 

“Shakespeare knew how to make words sexy as shit because he was working with a limited costume department. Considering we don’t have the budget for nice long swords to get across the fact Hamlet probably has or thinks he has a big dick, I’m thinking some real tight inky blue jeans with a floaty, long sleeved linen shirt and a dusting of steampunk aesthetic.”

Dan smirks and crosses his arms. “And you’re trying to get Noah to play Hamlet?” Jenny nods. “I am _one hundred_ percent on board with this concept.”

Jenny cackles. “I knew you were a fellow visionary. Come on, I’ve got a new box of straps and buckles and I need to choose which ones to attach to your boyfriend’s thighs.”

Dan thinks he may have found his new calling in life.

♥

By late afternoon the following day, Dan has slipped out of Noah’s world and landed back in his own with a jarring thud. As he scrolls through his work emails to see what awaits him tomorrow, the monotony and predictability starts to drag him down; it’s nothing like Noah’s world. Noah’s world is surprising and creative and hard work. It’s rewarding in a way totally different to a good paycheck, and Dan’s even jealous of the fact his boyfriend is spending Sunday with his friends, preparing for the next Drunk Shakespeare he’s finally agreed to be a part of, and not deleting yet another email about office kitchen etiquette. 

Dan drops his phone and sinks back into the couch, following the thoughts of Noah because they’re always a welcomed distraction. He thinks about Noah’s smile as he ate his carton of stir fry opposite Dan at the noodle bar after they left the theatre, laughing at something Dan said while jabbing his chopsticks into the box. He thinks about Noah’s hand in his as they climbed the stairs to Noah’s apartment, and Noah’s arms as they wrapped Dan in such a safe embrace in bed. 

Dan’s phone dings from the couch and he scoops it up enthusiastically. 

**Apparently you had something to do with my new thigh straps?? Someone has a kink 👀**

_What can I say? I’m a thigh man!_

**Mm I’m pretty sure that was me this morning**

Humming contently, Dan smirks at the warmth of the memory as it spreads over his body. Noah pressed against Dan’s back, hands everywhere, mouth on Dan’s neck, slick cock slipping between Dan’s thighs. Dan had been so overcome with pleasure from being under Noah’s whispers of admiration he’d come as soon as Noah’s warm fingers wrapped around him. The memory will be getting Dan through the week when he’s being driven to the end of his sanity.

When he’s fired off another cheeky text to Noah, Dan sighs with defeat and goes back to his emails. 

_Rural Writer’s Retreat - Limited Places Remaining!_

Dan hovers his thumb over the email for a long moment, staring hard at the screen as if the letters will jumble into some life affirming advice if he stares hard enough. Unfortunately the letters stay in place and Dan huffs before closing his emails quickly and thumbing through his call list instead. 

It rings for a while, because no person over the age of fifty five is able to answer the phone quickly no matter how close it is to their hand. 

“Daniel, hello! I was just talking about you!” His father says joyously, the warm and familiar tone making Dan grin instantly. 

“Hey, dad. How are you? How’s mom?”

“We’re good, all good, here. How are you? Your sister tells me you’ve a new friend.”

Dan rolls his eyes and makes a mental note to send Sarah an angry emoji later. “Why am I not surprised?”

His father chuckles. “I know, I know. You don’t want to jinx it by talking to your dad about it.” 

“No, it’s not that. It’s still pretty new. Well, sort of new. A couple months, I think. You’d really like him, he loves your films.”

“Well! He sounds like a rational young man. Maybe you should bring him home for the holidays.”

Dan sucks in a breath, heart hammering with how much he would love that. “Maybe, dad. But that’s actually not why I called.”

“Oh?” Dan can hear the raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah. I was actually looking for some advice. Some work advice and I guess life advice.”

“Of course, Daniel. I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I know, dad. It’s probably nothing but I think I want to quit my current career and go hide in the woods for a while and write with other wannabe writers.”

His dad laughs. “Is that all?”

“Yeah, I think that about sums it up.”

“Ok, alright. So, are you worried financially?”

Dan rolls his eyes. His dad is such a dad sometimes. “No, I’m good. I save.”

“Excellent. So, you need my advice because…”

“Because I don’t know if it’s the right thing.”

“Ok, and what you’re doing now - does that feel like the right thing?”

Dan groans softly. “I don’t know.”

“And your new friend, does he feel like the right thing?”

“Yes,” Dan answers, the word springing out of his mouth before he even realises he’s answering. 

“So then you do know what the right thing feels like, and your current job doesn’t make you feel the way he does, this…”

“...Noah.”

“Noah, the way Noah makes you feel?”

Dan picks at a thread on the cushion next to him. “No, it doesn’t make me feel like that.”

His father sighs and says kindly, “Then I think you have your answer, son. Everything important in your life should feel right.”

“Yeah. Yes...it should,” Dan agrees. “Thanks, dad.” 

♥

Dan is buzzing with excitement and feeling strangely wired and alert to say he has barely slept all night. He’s practically jittering at his desk as the head of marketing walks out, Annie and Emily scurrying in a few moments later looking concerned. 

“What was that about?” Emily whispers, as though everyone is listening. 

Dan rolls in his lips and takes a deep breath through his nose. 

“I signed up to the writer’s retreat last night, and then I sent in my letter of resignation.”

His friends stare blankly at him for a beat or two before their mouths both curl into matching grins. 

“Are you serious?” Annie asks, pressing her fingers to her lips, and when Dan nods she rushes towards him and throws her arms around his shoulders. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I thought you might be upset,” Dan admits and Annie frowns and taps his shoulder. 

“Never. You can’t waste away in an office, Dan. You’re meant to do amazing things.”

Dan sighs. “I hope so.”

♥

At lunch, Noah looks happily surprised to see Dan approaching the van early. He’s only about halfway through the lunch rush, but Dan can’t possibly hold this back any longer. He climbs into the truck and when Noah turns to greet him, Dan pulls him in by his shoulders and kisses him with everything he’s got, only pulling back when someone in the crowd starts wolf whistling. 

“Uhm,” Noah blinks, looking pleasantly bewildered. “Hi, uh...what was that for?” 

“I signed up to the writer’s retreat,” Dan says and Noah’s eyes widen and brighten. “And I quit my job.”

Noah gasps and pulls Dan into a crushing hug with a giddy shout. “I’m so fucking proud of you!”

Dan laughs as Noah squeezes him tightly, pride bubbling in his chest. “Thank you. I’m proud of me too.”

“God, you’re amazing! Do you know that? You’re so amazing.” Noah says as he pulls back. He looks out into the waiting crowd of half confused and half smiling faces. “This is my boyfriend and he’s amazing!” 

“He’s cute but I’m still hungry!” Someone from the queue says, and they laugh at each other and kiss again before Dan lets Noah get back to work. 

After the queue is gone, Noah shuts up the van early and brings a grilled cheese sandwich cut in two for them to share. They _cheers_ with the corner end of their slices, and Dan doesn’t stop grinning for a moment. 

♥ 

Through some miracle Dan manages to wrangle a four week notice period right down to two weeks, which gives him a week to collect himself between then and the retreat. 

The two weeks don’t drag at all like Dan thought they would, instead they seem to skip right on by in a cloud of meetings and hand overs and not enough time with Noah. It’s almost maddening how little time he gets with Noah, even on the weekends because the universe has decided to punish Dan for being courageous by giving Noah extremely busy Saturdays. So Dan calls his sister and his parents and hangs out with Emily and eats too many blueberry pancakes. It’s pretty much like his weekends before Noah’s food truck trundled up to the MTV building so many months ago, except now he gets cute messages and cute selfies from his cute as fuck boyfriend - so maybe he can hang on just a few more days. 

And then it’s Dan’s last day and suddenly he’s _terrified_. There’s nothing left to handover at this point so coming in is just a formality, just so people can watch him smile as he opens their card and accepts the store-bought cake. Annie and Emily loiter in his office for most of the day, and just before they leave for lunch Dan wraps them both in a big hug and tells them he’s going to miss them and if they make him cry he’ll deny everything. 

By the end of the day Dan is so drained from all the goodbyes and good lucks that he almost wants to weep with relief when he finds Noah’s food truck outside the building, feeding hungry commuters despite that fact it’s Friday and way past lunch. He’s happy to sink into a long hug from Noah. 

“Hi,” Noah smiles as he kisses Dan’s temple. 

“You got a lot going on this weekend?” Dan mumbles into Noah’s shoulder. 

“Nope,” Noah answers triumphantly. “I am all yours until Tuesday.”

Dan groans, satisfied, because four days of being completely enclosed in Noah’s presence sounds wonderful. And it’s exactly what he does, resets himself in four gloriously empty days filled to the brim with Noah. 

♥

Monday is strange; strange for a few reasons. First of all, Dan is the first to wake up (which never happens) but it’s also _how_ he’s waking up that’s so remarkably different for a Monday morning. There’s no alarm blaring obnoxiously from beneath his pillow which means Dan wakes up nice and slow. He doesn’t jolt awake, and so his eyes ease the light of a new day into them and he slowly blinks the vision of a naked Noah sleeping on his pillow. Dan sighs and shifts his legs, the clean sheets feeling luxurious against his bare legs. He’s been sleeping naked more and more since Noah, and it’s not just because Noah wakes up with the hormones of an eighteen year old. He likes to feel Noah’s skin against his, always so warm no matter how high the AC is cranked. He’s pale and gorgeous and Dan wants to cling to his body like a life preserver. 

Because he can’t resist, Dan reaches out and runs a featherlight hand down Noah’s bare back. Noah hums and rubs his face into the pillow, and Dan has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. 

“Mmm, morning,” Noah sighs, eyes still firmly pressed closed. 

Dan smiles and leans in to press a sweet kiss to Noah’s cheek. “Go back to sleep,” he whispers, gently stroking his fingertips down Noah’s spine. Noah purrs and moves into the touch. 

“Mm-wake,” Noah yawns and Dan kisses Noah’s cheek again, laughing. 

“I don’t think you are,” Dan says, hand sliding beneath Noah’s stomach to press against his flaccid cock. Noah whines. “See, your sous chef isn’t even up yet.”

Noah snorts. “Did you just call my dick a chef?” He says into the pillow. 

Dan grins. “Mm, no, baby. You’re dreaming. Go back to sleep I’m gonna make breakfast.”

“Make?” Noah’s pillow covered face enquires. 

Dan sits up and scoffs. “Ugh, fine. Order. I’m going to order us breakfast.”

As Dan moves to clamber off the bed, Noah pulls back from the pillow with his adorable sleep creased face so he can wrap his fingers around Dan’s wrist. 

“Don’t go too far. The sous chef will be up soon,” Noah says, eyebrows wiggling. Dan flushes and laughs, enjoying the amusement on Noah’s sleepy face. 

He leaves Noah snoozing as he slips on some joggers and a sweater and pads into the kitchen, already tapping away on his phone as he orders an obscene amount of pancakes. The delivery time is only ten minutes, a miracle compared to the fifty minutes Dan has to wait on a weekend morning. He keeps his phone face up on the counter as he makes coffee, adjusting to the Monday morning still if his apartment that he’s never gotten to see before. 

It’s nice. It’s comfortable. He stands enjoying the quiet until the food arrives. 

♥

Noah only leaves for a few hours on Tuesday, and even though Dan is normally the type of person to need his own space it’s been hard to stop his head spiralling, so he’s secretly thrilled when he answers the door to Noah late Tuesday afternoon. He makes some joke about Noah not being able to stay away before pulling him into a tangling kiss. 

Dan tries not to think too much about how everything in him feels calmer when Noah is around, or about the fact that he's going to be without that calm for ten days after pretty much living in each other’s pockets for months. Instead he watches Noah recline back against the headboard with a beer and that ugly backwards cap he wears in the truck, peering over Dan’s open suitcases. 

“Will you be needing so much formal wear at a writer’s retreat? Aren’t they just going to lock you in a cabin in the woods until you write something?” 

“Well that vaguely correct description is very unsettling,” Dan replies as he turns from his closet with another two sweaters in hand. “What if this is some trap by some eccentric psychopath who likes to hunt people in the woods?”

He’s only half kidding. That thought really has crossed his mind before. 

“Writers though? That doesn’t sound like much fun, they’re already tortured souls,” Noah smirks and Dan huffs, only mildly offended, though he still accepts Noah’s hand when he offers it and lets Noah pull him onto the bed and onto his lap. Dan kisses him, just because he can, just because their lips are close and not at all because Noah’s starting to feel like home. 

“It’ll be fine,” Noah murmurs into Dan’s parted lips. “It’s going to be an amazing experience, and even if it’s not that doesn’t mean this isn’t the right path for you.”

With nothing to reply, Dan winds his arms around Noah’s neck and deepens the kiss. He let’s Noah’s hands search beneath his sweater for the two dimples on Dan’s lower back that Noah seems to love so much. Noah’s fingers slot into the divets of skin with a perfect fit, like Dan’s body was made to be beneath Noah’s hands. 

Pulling back from the kiss, Dan presses his forehead into Noah’s collar bone, desperately trying not to let his heart get carried away and say something it’s probably too soon to say. 

“If I don’t take any formal wear can I put you in the case instead?” Pathetic. 

Noah chuckles softly and runs his hands up and down Dan’s arms, letting out a resigned sigh when the laughter fades. As Noah presses a gentle kiss to his temple, Dan gets the feeling he’s going to be missed just as much. 

♥

The day before Dan leaves for the retreat he arranges a small dinner party at his place for Annie, Emily, Noah and Stacey (who he’s been happily swapping Japan stories with over Instagram since the restaurant). Noah offers to cook, though it’s approaching early afternoon and they’ve yet to begin as they’re still getting distracted every time they try to make it to the kitchen. 

“Well, it’s pretty clear we have no control,” Dan says from the living room floor, jeans and underwear around his ankles and Noah’s warm cheek resting against Dan’s warmer thigh. Noah grins and twists his head until he can suck a mouthful of soft thigh flesh between his teeth and bite. Dan hisses but is kind of into it, and Noah laughs at the broken off moan that follows. 

“We could just get take out?” Noah suggests, removing his head from the groove of Dan’s neck and sitting back on his knees. 

Dan hums and closes his eyes, not quite ready to give up his post orgasm afterglow, even if the corner of the rug is digging into his back. Finally he wriggles his pants back up and sits up facing Noah. “That would mean we don’t have to start getting ready for another hour.”

Noah’s eyebrows bob as he catches Dan’s wanting tone and follows Dan’s gaze down to his dick. He smirks. “I wonder what we could do with a whole hour…”

Dan plays coy and glances around the apartment. 

“Hmm...well...you haven’t fucked me in the utility room yet.”

Noah’s eyes flash with something carnal as he leans over Dan’s body and pulls him into a teeth clattering kiss that has Dan moaning shamelessly. 

“Better set that thing to spin cycle,” he murmurs, and Dan’s breath catches in his throat because, wow. 

They don’t mention the fact that they’ve had sex more times today than they ever have in a day before, or the fact that Dan is coincidently leaving for ten days tomorrow. They don’t talk about the fact that they’ve been holding hands pretty much since the moment they awoke or the fact that they keep catching each other staring at the other with a sad sort of fondness. 

Dan doesn’t even think about those things, instead he clasps his fingers together around the back of Noah’s neck and his legs around Noah’s waist as Noah fucks into him with a brutally alternating rhythm. The machine vibrates wildly beneath Dan’s ass, and they’re brought to orgasm incredibly fast considering they’ve already got each other off three times today. 

Afterwards they cling to each other, breathing hard and laughing breathily between soft kisses. 

♥

The girls arrive half an hour late and all at once. 

“What was it you said when you showed up two hours late to my birthday party?” Emily asks as she slides off her coat and hands it to her ruffled looking host. 

“Good fashion is never late,” Annie supplies in her best Dan voice, which is terrible and too deep but it makes Noah laugh brightly. 

Dan throws a glare at each of them. “Excuse me, but I was recovering from food poisoning and needed an outfit that could easily be dry cleaned. Also, you’re wearing a jumpsuit I watched you buy from Goodwill.”

Emily grins and twirls. “And it shines up real nice, don’t you think?”

Dan opens his mouth to respond with something sharp, but Noah places his hands on Dan’s shoulders and steers his away. “Alright, why don’t you put the coats away and I’ll get the menus.”

Annie sighs and boops Noah’s nose. “What did we ever do without you?”

Stacey takes Dan’s arm and helps him with the coats, even though there’s only three of them. She hands them to Dan one by one at the hall closet, studying his face for a moment with unnerving accuracy. 

“So, you’re nervous about leaving Noah for ten days, huh?”

Dan pauses, coat hanging from his hands on its way to the hanger. “Uhm,” he swallows. “What makes you say that?” 

Stacey smiles softly. “I’ve known Noah for a long time. He’s gonna miss you, but he believes in you like you believe in him. He loves you, and ten days is nothing when you’re gonna be spending probably a lot of years together.”

Dan swallows and let’s the coat slip onto the hanger, his heart suddenly hammering in his ears. “He-he what?”

Stacey chuckles and shakes her head. “He loves you, Dan, as much as I know you love him. So whatever else you’re worrying about in life, he doesn’t have to be one of them.”

Where once panic would reside in the pit of his stomach and the back of his throat, Dan now feels an easy sort of warmth spread. He hadn’t realised that weight was there, a worry about what their infant relationship could and couldn’t handle of the future, but now that weight has gone Dan still feels rooted to these people, to this family away from home he’s built for himself. There’s a comfort in this relationship and a home in Noah.

Dan pulls Stacey into a hug. “Thank you.”

Stacey grins and kisses his cheek. “I’ll look after him for the next ten days but then he’s yours again.”

“Okay, thanks,” Dan laughs.

They’re giggling at nothing when they return to the living room, and when Noah shoots a questioning but happy smile their way, Dan simply grins back and settles into Annie’s retelling of her last fishing trip with her grandparents in Ontario when she dropped her car key in the bait box. 

“Turns out if you want to hook the big ones you need the help of the keys to a Prius!” she concludes some five minutes later, and when Noah throws his head back to laugh Dan can’t take his eyes off his face. It takes him a moment to notice Stacey smirking at him, but when he does she shakes her head and mouths _‘love’_ while drawing a little heart with her index fingers. Dan blushes and looks away. 

They order pizza from two different places because Annie and Dan can’t stop bickering about who has the best crust in a five block radius. As they wait, Noah helps Dan with the wine in the kitchen. 

“I think we’ve created some kind of unholy alliance getting those three together,” Noah says as they hear cackling from the living room. 

Dan pulls a few bottles of red from the cabinet and nods. “We may have just unwittingly created LA’s most dangerous coven since The Craft, but as long as we stay on their good side we should be fine.”

There’s an amused smirk on Noah’s face that slowly slips away as he crowds Dan back against the units. Dan pulls his lips between his teeth as he loops his fingers behind Noah’s neck. 

“You look gorgeous tonight,” Noah says, and the earnestness in his eyes kills the witty reply in Dan’s throat. 

“Thank you,” he replies softly instead. 

“I’m gonna miss staring at you,” Noah admits, hands coming to rest with a possessive grip against Dan’s waist.

“I’ll send you a new selfie everyday.”

Noah sighs and shakes his head. “I mean it.”

Dan groans and let’s his forehead drop against Noah’s shoulder. “Baby, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

Noah chuckles and pulls Dan closer, arms crossing tight at Dan’s lower back. “Sorry.”

“No you’re not,” Dan mumbles into Noah’s shirt. 

“No, I’m not,” Noah agrees. 

Dan pulls back with a sigh and a smile and squeezes Noah’s biceps. “And that’s exactly why Stacey is taking you home tonight. Tomorrow is going to be stressful enough without you and your puppy eyes.”

“Puppy eyes?”

“You know the ones,” Dan accuses with a playful smile, making Noah peck Dan’s lips several times and smearing their smiles into private little grins. 

♥

The evening is just the kind of relaxing distraction Dan hoped it would be, and after a few glasses of wine, many slices of pizza and one or two infused truffles Stacey brought for dessert, Dan feels almost completely boneless as he relaxes back in the armchair. Dan had almost forgotten what it’s like to feel so content in your skin and a room full of voices, and he never wants to forget again.

“Wow, it’s getting late,” Stacey comments, glancing at her stylish watch and wincing. Her words are sobering and Dan’s gaze shoots over to Noah who’s giving the watch his best puppy eyes like they might be powerful enough to turn back time. 

“Yeah,” Noah admits sadly, gaze slowly trailing across to Dan. “You should get some rest.”

“We can help you clean up,” Annie says as she pours the last few drops of wine into her glass.

“Helping already,” Emily smirks, picking up the empty bottle and screwing the lid back on. 

Stacey stands and clasps her hands. “Right, I’ll go and get our coats.”

“Mine’s on the chair by my side,” Noah calls after her, and Dan’s heart quickly swells. God he loves this man. Noah looks like he’s about to swallow his tongue. “I mean, um, the side closest to the door.”

Annie snorts, amused, and it’s still somehow cute. “Honestly, Dan, you’re _not_ going to get murdered in your sleep.”

“You can’t _know_ that,” Dan glares. 

By the door, with the girls still in the middle of their departure chattering, Noah pulls Dan into a tight embrace. He wraps his arms around Dan’s chest and holds him close for a quiet moment, like he’s listening to Dan’s heartbeat. Dan feels overwhelmed with fondness as he rests his chin on Noah’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of clean skin and generic aftershave wafting from Noah’s neck. 

“You’re gonna do great,” Noah finally says after the moment stretches until the girls’ chattering peters off. 

“Noah,” Dan says softly, like he’s about to say something poignant - God, what _is_ he about to say? Noah looks back at him hopefully, like maybe he’s waiting, wondering if Dan will say the words. “I…” Noah’s brows raise. God damn those puppy eyes! Heaps of pizza swirls in Dan’s stomach unhelpfully. “I’m really going to miss you.”

Dan hates himself, more so because Noah doesn’t even look surprised at the bail out. Instead he cups Dan’s cheek and kisses him softly, tender and seeking with slow flicks of warm tongue while his thumb caresses Dan’s cheek bone. 

When they pull apart, they find the girls all clustered together grinning at them. Dan glances back to Noah. 

“See, _a coven_ ,” Dan whispers and Noah smiles, leaning up and pecking Dan’s lips again. And again. And again until the girls groan and complain playfully. 

“Sorry, I’ll stop now,” Noah laughs, and after a beat of silence he wraps his arms around Dan’s shoulders and kisses him messily. 

“That’s fine, you guys carry on making out while we hide the cameras to cash in on all your reunion sex!” Emily calls over. 

Annie gasps. “Oh my god, we’d be rich.”

“We can call it FriesBeforeGuysFuck dot com,” Stacey adds. 

They have to stop kissing to laugh, and Dan uses the moment to tuck his head against Noah’s neck. 

A moment later, Stacey regretfully informs them that their cab has arrived. Dan digs his fingertips into Noah’s back, just for another few seconds. 

♥

Though Annie and Emily promised help, Dan figures they’re sticking around more for emotional support as he’s done most of the cleaning. He doesn’t mind, he prefers it that way, and he appreciates their attempted distractions as they fill Dan in on the office gossip he’s missed. 

It doesn’t take long for Dan’s mind to wander right back to Noah, the volume of the words he should have said drowning out the conversation around him.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Annie says, the sharp sound cutting through the fog of thoughts. Dan almost drops the wine glass he’s currently drying. When he sets the glass safely on the side, he sighs and nods.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

Annie smiles warmly, in a way that’s always made Dan feel protected, and lays her head on his shoulder. 

“Everything’s gonna be great,” she says softly, and when Dan doesn’t respond she pulls back and pinches hard at the tender flesh of in the crease of his arm. “Agree with me, asshole.”

“Ouch, okay!” Dan yelps. “I agree.”

Annie smirks triumphantly before sighing again and resting her head on Dan’s shoulder once more. She hands him something, and with one chest cracking heartbeat Dan realises it’s his phone and it’s calling Noah…

“What?! Oh my god,” Dan babbles as hell fumbles with the phone, trying to get to the end call button before-

 _“Dan? Hello? Are you there?”_ Noah’s tinny voice echoes quietly. 

Annie winks, chuckles, and wanders off to join Emily in the living room as Dan nervously lifts the phone to his ear. 

“Hey. Yeah, I’m here,” he says softly, and then sucks in a slow breath as he tries to build up his courage. “I just wanted-”

“-- I love you.” Noah interrupts. Dan’s heart stops. 

_What?!_

“What?!” Dan chokes, the noise of his restarting heart thudding so loudly he’s sure he’s about to throw up or pass out or wake up. 

“I should have just told you, instead of waiting for you. You don’t have to say it back, if you’re not ready or you’re not sure. I just had to-” Dan can’t help but smile fondly at Noah’s nervous rambling. 

God, he’s so in love with this man. 

“I love you too.”

“Oh thank god!” 

Dan laughs and then so does Noah, and then they’re both laughing.

“I love you so much, Noah.”

“I love you too, Daniel.”

Sniffling back a happy sob, Dan sags back against the kitchen units and laughs. There’s a lightness in his stomach as some of the nerves of tomorrow’s unknown start to unknot, because no matter what happens, no matter what he does or doesn’t do, he’s got somewhere solid to land. 

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

♥

EPILOGUE

As soon as Dan lands in LAX, it’s a real effort to not call Noah right away. It’s early, too damn early for anyone to have any right smiling at this hour but Dan can’t pry the grin from his face as he collects his suitcase from baggage claim and heads outside to catch his cab.

He’s back a whole half a day early, because honestly another nine hours without Noah after enduring the last nine and half days would just be more than Dan could take. He’s also managed to keep this a surprise, even last night when Dan was a little tipsy from the farewell dinner and ended up locked in his cabin purring hotly into the phone about Noah’s mouth and all the ways he’s going to get reacquainted with it when he’s home. 

The writer’s retreat had been amazing. The _Characters and Conflict_ workshop had stripped down raw, and the editing class fed his need for perfection. He met some budding young writers as well as much older amateurs with a wealth of life experience, and his cabin had the most gorgeous view of endless green. There was so much time to let his brain just pour into his journal, and now more than half the pages were filled with the depths of his creative vision that he just couldn’t quite reach working in an office at MTV. 

Even though the retreat was the most fruitful trip he’s been on in a long while and he now has a whole new circle of contacts, that hasn’t stopped him missing Noah desperately. They’ve spoken on the phone a handful of times and text every day, and Dan’s gotten to read and hear _I love you_ each time - but it’s not enough. He wants to see Noah’s mouth when he says it, wants to press his fingers to Noah’s lips and feel the words come pouring out so he can catch them in a kiss. He wants to hold Noah in his arms and say it back, wants to say it against Noah’s skin until he’s soaked with it. 

In the cab, Dan checks his phone too many times even though there’s no way Noah will be awake yet. He performed in drunk Shakespeare for the second time last night - on his first show Annie and Emily went in Dan’s place and sent Dan a barrage of cute photos of his tipsy boyfriend grinning and laughing, proving that Noah really is the most adorable drunk. Dan can’t wait to see it for himself in a few days, if he’s ready to share Noah by then. 

As he stands in front of Noah’s apartment door, one hand on his case and the other raised in the air to knock, Dan’s lips feel suddenly dry. He licks them and exhales slowly, taking in this moment of calm he feels just knowing Noah’s body is in close proximity. 

_Knock knock_

There’s some shuffling and adorable mumbling that makes Dan bite on his own giddy grin as the coughing and moaning get closer to the door. It swings open, revealing a rumpled shirtless Noah in a ridiculously low thin pair of sweats. His bare chest and arms enough to make Dan lose grip on his smirk. 

“Damn, Reid” Dan drawls, and Noah blinks out at him from beneath a sleepy haze before his eyes quickly widen.

“ _Dan!_ ” Dan expects Noah to be embarrassed of the pitch of his squeal, but he simply throws himself into Dan’s arms to hug him tightly.

Dan wraps his arms around Noah’s still sleep warm body and sighs with a quick rush of breath. It’s the best breath he’s taken in over a week. 

“Hey, baby,” Dan murmurs into Noah’s shoulder, pulling back just to slide his fingers into Noah’s tousled hair. They kiss and Dan wants to moan as soon as their lips touch. He’d almost forgotten the sweetness of Noah’s mouth, even though the evidence of a good night is still on Noah’s breath. Noah pulls back before Dan can taste more. 

“What are you doing back early?” Noah asks, his face barely able to contain his grin.

“Thought I might surprise you,” Dan says, kissing Noah again before pulling back a fraction of an inch, just enough to let the words out. “Plus I don’t trust The Witches of WeHo to _not_ have hidden cameras in my apartment.”

Noah chuckles, sliding his tongue slowly between Dan’s lips again and kissing Dan in the deep, slick breath way Noah knows he loves. Dan moans his approval and juts his hips forward to urge Noah back inside the apartment.

They’ve only been together a matter of months, but ten days isn’t enough to remove the memory of the steps to their _gotta fuck you now_ dance. Of course it helps that Noah is wearing one single piece of clothing, so Dan helps by shedding his own jacket and shoes as soon as the door is closed before attaching himself to Noah’s mouth again. Sweater, tshirt, belt - it’s all next to be pulled from Dan’s body until Noah’s dropping to sit on the side of the bed and pulling Dan’s jeans and boxers down in the process. Dan laughs at Noah’s fingers as they scramble over the material.

“Missed you too,” Dan smirks, and he goes to speak again but Noah cuts him off by devouring Dan’s cock completely. “—fuck, Noah!” 

Noah makes those soft little gagging noises Dan loves so much as his cock hits the back of Noah’s throat, and Dan clings to Noah’s shoulders and tries not to come in ten seconds. Noah manages to work Dan’s jeans and underwear down to his shins while sucking cock so good it leaves Dan speechless. It takes great strength to pull his cock from Noah’s eager mouth but Dan knows he’s too tired for two rounds and he really wants to be full of his hot boyfriend right now, so he pulls back from Noah’s warm mouth. Noah whimpers and Dan almost gives in and thrusts his cock back in, but he steps back before he can. 

“I missed you, so fucking much,” Dan breathes as he kicks the rest of his clothes away. Noah scoots back onto the bed and reaches for Dan’s hand, pulling him down on top when he gets it.

The skin on skin makes Dan groan as he traps Noah’s hips between his thighs. He pulls back above Noah, hands resting on Noah’s strong shoulders as his face hovers just inches from Noah’s. 

“I love you,” Noah says, quiet but confident, and Dan doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he kisses Noah instead. 

“I love you, too” he replies into the kiss, and Noah’s hands grip Dan’s hips so he can rock up against him. Dan curses. “I need you in me.”

“Yeah,” Noah nods. “I need that too, fuck. Here, let me,” Noah goes to reach for the nightstand but Dan gets there first, pulling out the lube and condoms and dropping both on Noah’s chest. 

Noah grabs the lube and Dan quickly rocks forward, pressing his chest against Noah’s so Noah can reach over Dan’s ass and press a slick fingertip to Dan’s hole. 

“Please,” Dan breathes hotly against Noah’s ear, making Noah shiver as he presses a single finger into the first knuckle. It feels good but it’s not enough, and Dan pushes himself back so the whole finger slips in.

“Fuck, Dan,” Noah groans.

“More,” Dan begs, and Noah thrusts his finger in a few times before adding a second. Dan keens and pushes himself back, rocking onto Noah’s hand and urging him deeper. He lets Noah scissor him open while they kiss, lips wet and kiss bitten. 

“You’re gorgeous,” Noah whispers into the kiss, twisting his wrist and scissoring Dan faster. 

Dan rears up onto his knees, forcing Noah’s fingers out of him. They both groan at the loss of pressure, but Dan quickly reaches for a condom and tears it from its packet before rolling it down Noah’s hard cock, jacking it a few times until Noah’s gasping. He presses the tip against his rim and Noah reaches up to ghost his fingertips down Dan’s cheek. Dan turns to press a kiss into Noah’s palm before lowering himself down onto Noah’s cock, slow, slow, slow until he’s seated and filled. Dan feels complete, utterly overwhelmed in waves of Noah as he rocks himself forward gently - testing. Noah groans, scratchy but guttural as he reaches up to grab the bars of the headboard. 

With his fingers gripping the firm pale flesh of Noah’s bicep, Dan grinds himself down onto Noah in fast rolling waves, not taking his eyes off Noah’s for a single second. Noah grips the bars tighter, plants his feet against the mattress and bucks up, almost toppling Dan forward as he moans at the unexpected hit right against that tight bundle of nerves. 

“Fucking— _God_ , Noah. Yeah, please— again, please,” Dan begs, the small space between their mouths thick with want. Noah bucks up again and again, hands dropping from the headboard to grip Dan’s hips and hold him in place as he thrusts up into him. 

Dan’s thighs start burning and then shaking as Noah continues his onslaught, and then it’s too much and not enough but everything he needs. He wraps his slippery fingers around his own cock and starts to jack himself, so concentrated on Noah’s face that it’s almost a shock when he shoots his load over Noah’s chest with a soft cry. Noah wraps his hand over Dan’s, joining him in milking the last few drops of orgasm. 

Dan lifts his hips, moaning as Noah slides out of him. He scoots back until he’s on Noah’s thighs and takes the lube again, slicking his hand up again so he can jerk Noah fast and smooth towards his own orgasm. 

“Fuck, fuck—Dan, fuck” Noah babbles, hand gripping Dan’s forearm as he starts to come hard, thick short ribbons joining Dan’s release. 

They’re panting hard and grinning, still unable to look away from each other. Noah runs his fingers through their mess, smearing it across his chest.

“You’re gross,” Dan grimaces and Noah laughs, reaching for a discarded T-shirt beneath his pillow. He uses it to clean the mess on his chest up as Dan rolls onto his back next to Noah. 

“Fuck, I missed you,” Noah sighs contently before dropping a kiss to Dan’s shoulder. 

“You too,” Dan smiles.

“And I love you,” Noah adds and Dan grins as another kiss gets places on his shoulder. 

“You too.” 

Noah pushes himself onto his front and Dan gets to wrap him up in his arms like he’s been wanting to since he left. There’s a warmth and a calm that settles right into Dan’s bones and he buries his fingers in Noah’s hair to keep hold of it. Noah hums. “Welcome home, Dan.” 

♥

After a nap, round two, another nap and a shower, they’re lazing naked on the bed on a shared towel when Dan pulls his leather bound journal from his hand luggage. 

Noah’s kissing down Dan’s side as he flips through the pages and then hooks his chin over Dan’s shoulder. 

“So, you get any good ideas?”

Dan chuckles. “More than a few.”

Noah lets his hand fall gently into the curve of Dan’s hip and Dan grins and pushes against it.

“Tell me your favourite one,” Noah says softly. “Please?”

Dan takes a breath, a brief pause as he considers closing his journal and insisting he form the idea more before revealing it to anyone. “Sure.”

Noah kisses behind Dan’s ear and whispers, “Thank you.” 

Dan flips to the center page and settles back against Noah’s embrace. “So, there’s this wealthy family that loses everything…”

♥ THE END ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on tumblr: wildxwired


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